Scott's secret
by KatZen
Summary: Scott is hiding something from his family. How will they react when they find out his secret? Chapter thirty seven added and story completed. Rated T for safety.
1. Sickness or Emotion

**Disclaimer: The Thunderbirds do not belong to me. They belong to Gerry Anderson. All characters will be returned- hopefully in one piece, but you never know.**

**A/N- I have no idea where this plot came from, but it just wouldn't leave my head until I wrote about it. I used to have a beta, but she ran away, so if you spot any character or plot flaws, punctuation or spelling mistakes, please let me know about them in a review and I will fix them up as soon as possible. This could be read as TV or movie universe. **

Chapter One- Sickness or Emotion

Scott Tracy sighed wearily as he entered the lounge room covered in mud. He had just come home from a mudslide that suffered lots of fatalities. Maybe that was why he was feeling sick to his stomach.

"Ah, Scott," said Jeff. He was seated behind his desk, and he was waiting for Virgil and Alan to come back from the rescue. "Have a seat. The others have just landed and are completing post flight checks, so as soon as they come to the lounge, we can start on the debriefing." Jeff's head immediately returned to a pile of paperwork that was situated on his desk.

Scott sank down onto a chair and leant back. A sharp pain shot through his abdomen. He muttered a curse under his breath and leant forward to relieve some of the pain.

Upon hearing the curse, Jeff looked up.

"Is anything wrong, Scott?" Jeff asked. Scott shook his head grimly, trying to mask the pained expression on his face, but failing. Jeff could see that there was something wrong with Scott, but he thought that the deaths in the rescue had upset him.

At that moment, Virgil and Alan Tracy entered the lounge. The flopped unceremoniously onto the sofa, on either side of Scott and the debrief began.

Two hours later, the Tracy brothers had showered and changed out of their uniform. They were relaxing until Kyrano called them for dinner. Vigil, Alan and Gordon all ran out off the room, eagerly anticipating the feast that lay on the table. Scott, however, trudged slowly towards the dining room table. He really didn't feel like eating. All he wanted to do was to lie down and go to sleep. But he couldn't. Scott hesitated, before he sat down on his chair, placed his hands on his abdomen, and leant slightly forward. Jeff noticed his eldest's son hesitate before he sat down and started to worry about him.

"Son, are you sure you're alright?" Jeff questioned, looking Scott straight in his crystal blue eyes.

"I'm fine, Dad, just tired." Scott stared straight back at Jeff. Jeff noted the pain, hurt and a hint of fear in Scott's eyes.

"Would you like to go to sleep?"

Scott nodded his head in response to the question as another jolt of pain shot through his abdomen.

"Off you go, Scott. I'll see you in the morning."

Scott stood up, and walked out of the room, his hands still on his abdomen.

**AN: Reviews would be nice- constructive criticism is OK, but nothing nasty please. I will try and update this as soon as possible because I am being flooded with homework. This is my first fanfic so please be nice! **


	2. Something is Wrong

**Disclaimer: The thunderbirds do not belong to me- they belong to Gerry Anderson.**

**AN: Thank you so much for the reviews. They were really encouraging and it helped me plan this chapter out so much fast. **

**CleoKitty- thanks for the tip, I will log on and do that as soon as possible.**

Chapter Two- Something is wrong.

The sun streamed through the windows in Tracy Villa. In his room, Scott Tracy woke up from an uneasy sleep. He felt more jolts of pain shooting through his abdomen, like serrated knives stabbing him repeatedly. His back was also hurting him. He leant forward, to ease the pain. He also felt nauseated. Once the pain had subsided, Scott got up and went to the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth.

After Scott had finished, he headed out to the dining table for breakfast, even though he wasn't that hungry. When he arrived at the table, Scott was dismayed to find his family already eating. This meant that he would have to force himself to eat something. Ignoring the nauseous feeling in his stomach, Scott grabbed a bowl, tipped a handful of cornflakes into the bowl, drowned the cornflakes in milk, and shovelled a spoonful into his mouth. As soon as he did that, he felt his stomach churn. He realised that he wouldn't be able to keep his breakfast down in his stomach. Scott felt the nausea rise like bile in his throat. He placed his bowl down and ran to the bathroom, closed the door and threw up what little food he had eaten.

In the dining room, Jeff heard Scott throw up, so he excused himself from the table and waited outside the bathroom door. A few minutes later, the door opened. Jeff looked up and saw Scott standing hunched in the doorway, looking extremely tired. Jeff noted that Scott's skin was slightly yellow.

"Son, are you alright?"

"Yes, Dad, I'm fine." Scott replied, "Just stressed and tired."

Jeff was satisfied with this explanation and returned back to the dining room to finish his breakfast.

Two hours later, Scott was in his room, staring at his reflection.

'When did my skin have a yellow tinge to it? When did I become so gaunt?' he thought to himself.

As he took in his appearance, he noticed more and more changes. Alarm bells started pealing in his head.

'_Something _is wrong with me. I need to make sure that this isn't serious,' he thought to himself. 'Now, how do I tell Dad that I need some time off from IR?'

After he had decided on how to approach his dad, Scott exited his room and looked for Jeff. Scott found Jeff seated behind his desk in the lounge. As Scott approached the desk, he cleared his throat to let Jeff know that he was there and wanted to talk.

"Scott, have a seat."

Scott obliged, and leant forwards as he sat.

"Dad, I would like some time off from International Rescue."

Jeff could only stare at Scott, dumbfounded, as he heard Scott's request.

"Why now, Scott? The monthly rotation for Thunderbird Five will happen in a few days time, and I need every member of rescue staff on the ground while this takes place."

Scott looked down at his hands; he couldn't believe that he had forgotten about the monthly switch. In his mind, he planned his answer.

"I know that, Dad, but I need the time off." Scott raised his head and stared Jeff straight in the eye. Once again, Jeff noted the pain, hurt and fear in Scott's eyes. "Please, Dad, I really need the downtime."

Jeff sighed, and made his decision.

"OK, Scott. You have one week of leave from International Rescue. I'm sorry, but I can't let you have longer leave than that."

Scott nodded his head in agreement.

"Now," Jeff continued. "I'm going for a walk on the beach. I'll see you later."

As soon as Jeff left the lounge, Scott scanned the room, made sure no-one was there and picked up the phone and dialled a number. As soon as he got a response from the phone, he said, "Could I make an appointment to see Dr Conway?"

**AN: Sorry the chapter is so long, but I had to establish Scott's problems. Anyway, please review, but nothing nasty please.**


	3. What's wrong with me?

Disclaimer: this disclaimer applies to all of the chapters in this story; I am getting fed up of writing the same thing every single chapter

**Disclaimer: this disclaimer applies to all of the chapters in this story; I am getting fed up of writing the same thing every single chapter. The thunderbirds do not belong to me- they belong to Gerry Anderson. All other charaters that are not from Thunderbirds belong to me and my imagination.**

**AN: Thank you so much for the reviews- they really encourage me to write more and update faster. Thoughts are indicated in quotation marks, and speech is indicated in speech marks. **

Chapter Three- What's wrong with me?

Scott sat in the doctor's waiting room. Today, the familiar waves of nausea were swirling and swirling around in his stomach, like a sea that is caught up in the middle of a rough storm. His abdomen, once again, felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly with serrated knives and his back twinged every time he moved. After a while, the doctor called Scott into his room.

"So Scott, what's the problem?"

Scott pondered slowly over his answer- he didn't want to sound too melodramatic, but he also wanted the doctor to know how intense the pains were.

"Well, I keep getting sharp pains that just shoot through my abdomen and back, I constantly feel sick in my stomach and my skin and the whites of my eyes are tinged yellow."

"Does the pain increase in your abdomen if you apply pressure or lean back?" Doctor Conway asked. Scott nodded his head in reply.

Dr. Conway placed this pen and notes on the table and glanced up at Scott.

"How old are you, Scott?" asked Dr. Conway.

Scott replied that he was 24 years old. At this statement, Dr. Conway had a perplexed expression on his face.

'How could a man who is so young suffer from these symptoms?' he thought to himself. One thing was certain; Dr. Conway would solve this case, no matter how long it took.

"Scott, something just doesn't seem right. You are a young man, and you are in peak physical condition. You should not be suffering from anything. For this reason, I am referring you to hospital for some blood tests and a CT scan because they will be more conclusive." Dr. Conway informed the patient. Scott nodded in agreement. "The results of the tests will be sent back to me in two days, so I will see you then to discuss the results."

Two days later, Scott was once again waiting to see Dr. Conway. 'Please don't let this be serious' Scott thought, over and over, like a mantra in his head. The doctors' voice interrupted his thoughts as Dr. Conway called him into the room.

"Scott, please, have a seat."

Scott sat down slowly, wary of Dr. Conway's facial expression and vocal tone.

"Scott, it isn't good news." Dr. Conway carried on explaining the results of his tests, but Scott didn't understand what the doctor was saying. Once Doctor Conway had finished, Scott posed a question of his own.

"Doc, please, just tell me. What's wrong with me?"

"I'm sorry, Scott. You have pancreatic cancer."


	4. How do I tell the others?

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: All the information about pancreatic cancer has been found in medical journals and medical websites. To my knowledge, the information is correct, but if you think something is wrong, please let me know in a review.**

Chapter Four- How do I tell the others?

Scott stared at the doctor.

'No,' he thought to himself. 'There's been a mistake. I don't have cancer.'

Doctor Conway could see that Scott was having a hard time processing that fact. He could also tell that Scott didn't believe that he had cancer.

"Scott," Doctor Conway continued. "The blood tests and CT scan both say you have cancer of the pancreas." Doctor Conway sighed. Now came the hard part- explaining the seriousness of the cancer.

"The cancer is quite advanced- we haven't caught it in its first stage. You are in stage two A."

"What does that mean?" asked Scott.

"Basically," Dr. Conway elaborated. "It means that the cancer has spread from the pancreas to surrounding tissue. However, it has not spread to major blood vessels or the lymph nodes."

Doctor Conway paused, observing the expression of shock, fear and worry etched on his face.

"The cancer can be removed- there is treatment in this stage. However, it is a very risky operation. After the operation, you will need several courses in radiotherapy and chemotherapy."

Doctor Conway paused again; making sure Scott understood what he was saying.

"I won't lie, Scott. If you do go ahead with the treatment, it will be very tough. I also know that I wouldn't be telling you about the treatment unless I thought that you would be able to withstand the treatment."

Scott nodded to acknowledge that he heard the doctor talk to him. He was lost for words. When he found his voice, he asked one last question.

"What are my chances?"

Doctor Conway took in a deep breath and exhaled sharply. He really hated this part of the job.

"Scott, without the treatment, you have less than 10 per cent chance of surviving. With the treatment, you would have a thirty per cent chance of surviving."

The doctor paused again, and saw that Scott had closed his eyes. It was like being given a death sentence.

"I understand that you will need some time to consider your options and discuss this with your family-" at this statement, Scott's eyelids flew open and he shook his head slightly.

"Scott, you need to tell your family. They can provide support and they care very deeply about you. They would want to know. Now, as soon as you have done that, give me a call and let me know what you have decided. If you do decide to go ahead with the treatment, we will have to operate before the cancer spreads further."

Scott assured the doctor that he would let the doctor know about his decision. Sensing that the appointment had finished, Scott stood up and left the surgery. He walked out of the building and entered the park opposite the surgery. Scott sat on a vacant swing and thought bitterly to himself, 'Great, how exactly do I tell Dad and the others?'


	5. Jeff finds out

**Disclaimer: see chapter three.**

**AN: This chapter took a long time to plan because there were so many different ways the family could have found out about the illness. I finally selected one I was happy with, so I hope you like it. I also wanted John in this story, so I had to send someone onto TB5 to take his place.**

Chapter Five- Jeff finds out.

At the end of the week, Scott Tracy flew himself back to Tracy Island. As he flew, he faced the dilemma of how much he would tell them and how and when he would tell him. As he requested landing clearance onto Tracy Island, Scott knew what he would do.

After landing and completing post flight checks, Scott made his way up to the villa. As he reached the front door, Scott tried to calm his nerves and thought to himself. 'Relax, act normal. They don't need to know about it just yet.'

Once he had composed himself, he raised his hand to the doorknob and turned the front door. As he entered the familiar sight of the lounge room, he saw Brains and Gordon playing chess. Virgil was at the piano, practising his scales. John and Tin-Tin were relaxing on the sofa reading. Predicably, Jeff Tracy was behind his desk, engrossed in a pile of Tracy Industries paperwork. When Scott closed the door, John looked up, placed his magazine on the coffee table, walked over to Scott and gave him a brotherly hug.

"Hey, Scott," John said quietly. "How are you?"

At that question, Scott stiffened slightly.

"I'm fine. How are you?" he replied while thinking 'Just an innocent, little lie, a lie that won't affect the people around me.'

After listening to John grumble about how he missed watching the stars from space, Scott felt that he had to apologise to John.

"John, I'm sorry I wasn't there to pick you up from Thunderbird Five."

John froze, pulled away from the hug, and looked Scott straight in his crystal blue eyes. As he did that, John noticed Scott's eyes were dull, and had lost some of their shine. John realised how tired Scott must have been.

"Scott, as much as I like having you pick me up, you don't have to be there all the time."

Hearing the conversation, Virgil and Gordon looked up from their respective activities and waved cheerfully at Scott. Gordon yelled out

"Scott, you're back, can you help me win against Brains at chess?"

Scott glanced over at the chessboard, and shook his head.

"Sorry Gordon, it's a lost cause. I can't even get you out of the check you are in."

After saying that, Scott realised that, at the time, his life was also a lost cause. Jeff looked up from his paperwork and was relieved to see Scott back.

"Excellent," Jeff muttered under his breath, "now International Rescue can work with all its available ground staff."

Scott's ears pricked up and he heard Jeff's declaration. Scott knew that if he didn't talk to his dad now, he would never tell Jeff, so he steeled his nerves.

"Actually, Dad, I need to speak to you."

Jeff looked up from his paper work.

"Yes, carry on."

Scott glanced around and pointedly said "In private."

"Let's go for a walk on the beach."

They walked to the beach in companionable silence, listening to the waves crash onto the sand.

"O.K., Scott. What did you want to talk about?"

Scott sat down heavily on the sand. Jeff followed suit.

"You know that I wasn't feeling well over the past few days, "Scott started and Jeff nodded in agreement. "Well, while I was on leave, I went to see Dr. Conway."

Jeff was shocked, but masked his emotion by asking one question.

"Scott, what did the doctor say?"

Scott inhaled quickly. How would he tell Jeff? Should he cushion the news so it wouldn't sound so bad, or should he be blunt and direct? Scott decided that he would be blunt and direct. Scott turned his head, so that he looked at the side of Jeff's face.

"Dad, I have pancreatic cancer. And it's well developed."

Jeff's head turned, and he could only stare as his eldest son told him everything.

"There is an operation that can remove the cancer, but it is risky and after the operation, I will have to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy." Scott's face was impassive as he retold everything the doctor had told him.

Mirroring Scott, Jeff asked one last question.

"What are your chances?"

Scott didn't want to answer that question, but he knew he had to.

"Thirty per cent."

Jeff misinterpreted that statement and told Scott that it was OK; he still had a seventy per cent chance of survival. Scott shook his head.

"Dad, I have a thirty per cent chance of living. Without treatment, I have less than ten per cent chance of survival."

Jeff decided that he couldn't hear any more of the news, so he got up and headed back to the villa. As he started to walk back, leaving Scott to stare at the waves, Jeff whispered softly,

"Scott, whether you do take the treatment or you don't, I will support your decision. You don't have to fight this battle on your own."

**AN: This chapter also took a long time to type- one whole day! Anyway, next chapter will include whole family.**


	6. The Hardest Decision of them All

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: Really getting into the story now. I am writing about one and a half chapters a day; so hopefully, the story will be completed soon, provided I don't have that much homework to complete.**

Chapter Six- The hardest Decision of them all.

Jeff Tracy entered the villa in a daze. He couldn't believe it. His oldest son, his emotional rock, his island in shark-infested waters, was sick. No, not sick, dying. He was being eaten and destroyed, from the inside out.

Jeff's heart sank as he realised he would have to tell his other sons. He wondered how they would react.

'Alan, he would probably be deeply distressed by the news. Gordon would probably howl with laughter, thinking it's a joke, until he sees my expression. John will probably receive the news in stunned silence. Tin-Tin would burst into tears. Brains would research on the cancer. Virgil… how would Virgil react to the news? I really don't know. Of all my sons, Scott and Virgil are the closest.' Jeff thought to himself.

Jeff turned to his sons and steeled himself to deliver the bad news. He opened the video link to Thunderbird 5 and waited for Alan to respond to his call. When he did, Jeff started to talk.

"Boys, I need to talk to you."

Tin-Tin rose from the sofa and started to leave the room. Jeff stopped her.

"Tin-Tin and Brains, you better hear this too. Scott has cancer. He has pancreatic cancer. He only has a thirty per cent chance of living."

There was a silence, and then, as predicted, Gordon burst into peals of laughter. He laughed so hard, tears leaked out of his eyes and he found it very difficult to breathe.

"That's a great joke, Dad. You really had us then." Gordon chortled, rolling around on the floor. Seeing Jeff's facial expression, Gordon stopped laughing. "Oh, this isn't a joke."

Alan started pacing up and down in Thunderbird 5. Everyone could hear him mutter,

"This can't be happening. No way. Not to Scott."

John stared, too shocked to say anything. Tin-Tin burst into tears, partly because Alan was so distressed, but mainly because Scott would be in a lot of pain. Brains excused himself from the lounge, saying he had some research to do. Virgil stood up from his piano stool and walked slowly to the door.

"Virgil, wait." Jeff started, but couldn't continue. Virgil had walked out of the villa and slammed the door behind him.

-

"So, is it true?"

Startled, Scott looked around and found Virgil sitting beside him. Scott nodded- what else could he do? If Virgil knew, the whole family would know.

"It is? You really have, you know…?"

"Virgil," Scott interrupted. "You can say the word. It's cancer. It's not going to kill you. It's killing me instead."

Virgil was surprised, to say the least, at Scott's open bitterness.

"Hey, bro, don't talk like that." Virgil tried to placate Scott. "You can fight the cancer with the treatment. I know you can fight this with the treatment."

Scott sighed. Virgil really was persistent at times.

"Virg, I don't know whether I am going to take the treatment yet. There are a lot of things I have to consider before I make my decision. "

Virgil had to stifle a laugh. This was so typical of Scott. He was always so careful, calculating and precise, no matter what situation he was in.

"But when I do make a decision," Scott continued. "You guys will be the first ones to know about it."

-

About four days later, Scott knew what he was going to do. He had thought long and hard and had finally come to a decision. He quickly called a family meeting. Once everyone had entered the room, Scott started to speak.

"Dad, Virgil, John, Gordon, Alan, Tin-Tin and Brains," Scott addressed every one there. "I've made a decision. I know what I am going to do."

**AN: About the cliffhanger- if you want to find out, you will have to wait for the next chapter.**


	7. Following up with the Doctor

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: The end of chapter six was really confusing for me. I didn't know if I was going to kill off Scott or not. But now I know, so you get to find out.**

Chapter Seven- Following Up with the Doctor

The others waited on the edge of their seated, their postures tense with anticipation.

"I've decided that I am going to take the treatment. I want to live."

Huge sighs of relief were heard from each person. Deep down, everyone thought that Scott would take his chances, poor as they were.

"Hey, Scotty, "Gordon cried out jovially. "That's great news." A 'great' idea struck Gordon. "This calls for a celebration. Let's have a party."

Virgil and John both winced inwardly. This was entirely the wrong thing to Scott. Jeff glared angry disapproval at Gordon's lack of sensitivity. Scott turned and looked incredulously towards Gordon. He had just been through a really stressful week, found out he had an illness he didn't even know about and that if he didn't take the treatment, he would be dead before his twenty- fifth birthday. Did Gordon really want to celebrate all of that?

"I haven't finished, yet, Gordon. And no, we are not going to have a party for this." Scott continued. "I would like the whole family here as I go through the treatment."

Scott shot a sideways glance at Jeff. Jeff realised what Scott was asking him to do. Scott wanted Jeff to close International Rescue. Jeff, however, had found a way around this.

"O.K. son, I'll put Thunderbird Five on Automated recording. It will send any calls to base."

"No, Dad," Scott countered. "I really don't want to worry about IR unnecessarily. I would like to close IR indefinitely."

Deep down in his heart, Jeff knew that Scott was right. In his head, Jeff was worried about all the rescues they would have to miss, but Jeff decided that his son's welfare was more important than IR.

"OK, Scott. IR will be closed indefinitely. But what will I tell the people of the world?"

Luckily for Jeff, Scott had thought of the perfect solution.

"In a media conference, tell them that International Rescue will be closed indefinitely because one of the crucial team members is going through a trying time. It's the perfect solution."

After Scott had finished speaking, he noted that his dad had an amused grin on his face.

"Dad, what is it now? You have an amused grin on your face."

"Oh, just you, planning everything down to each minute detail. You're right; I will call a media conference and tell them that."

"I'll leave you to it. There are a couple of things I need to do now."

Saying that, Scott left the lounge room and walked to his bedroom. In his room, Scott picked up his mobile and dialled Dr. Conway's number.

"Hi, is that Dr. Conway?"

"Yes, who's calling?"

"It's Scott Tracy. I made a decision "

"And?"

"I'm going ahead with the operation and the therapies."

"That's excellent news, Scott. I will need some follow up appointments. Can you come in at four o' clock today?"

There was a pause, as Scott glanced at his watch. It was just past noon. He figured that it would take him two hours to fly to the mainland, and even though the mainland was two hours ahead of Tracy Island, Scott figured that he would be able to go to the appointment.

"Yes, I think I can do that."

"Right, I'll see you then. By the way, you might want to consider bringing two other people with you." And Dr. Conway hung up the phone.

-

Scott walked into the lounge, and sought out Virgil. Virgil was sat at the piano stool, playing Orphee aux enfeurs. Scott tapped him on the shoulder and indicated that he wanted to speak to him. Since there was no one else in the room, Scott started to talk to Virgil.

"Virgil, I have another appointment with the doctor today, and I would really appreciate it if you came with me."

Virgil was astonished at Scott's request, but he wanted to show his support to Scott, so he readily agreed to go.

"Why me, Scott? Why not ask Dad or Gordon or John to go with you?"

Scott pondered on his answer.

"Well, dad is taking this news badly, even though he doesn't let it show. Gordon treats everything like a joke, so asking him is out of the question. I was going to ask John, but I haven't found him yet."

"John might be outside. He mentioned that he would take a dip in the pool."

"Right," Scott smiled, "I'll look for him there then."

-

Scott walked slowly towards the poolside, he was feeling quite tired. He found John powering through laps in the pool. As soon as John resurfaced, Scott asked him the same thing. John happily agreed, no questions asked. He hopped out of the pool and ran to the villa to get ready.

Afterwards, Scott scribbled a note explaining where he and his brothers had gone, the three of them made their way to the hangers. They chose the Swift- the fastest plane in the Tracy hanger, and left for LA to see the doctor.

**AN: Cleo- As requested, Jeff's take on things is the next chapter.**

**KMWRoad- Yes, I did hear that rumour, but I started writing this story before the news broke out, so no, unfortunately, I don't have ESP.**

**And everyone else- REVIEW. How else will I get my feedback?**


	8. Jeff's take on Things

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: this chapter is written from Jeff's point of view, and after the first paragraph, it is written as though he is writing in a diary or a journal. I thought that the change of writing style would be an interesting challenge.**

Chapter Eight- Jeff's Take on Things

I stepped out onto the balcony, observing the afterglow of the setting sun, and the moon peeking out from the horizon. I leant heavily on the railings, reflecting on the past few days. They had been a rollercoaster ride, full of highs and lows, especially for Scott. Speaking of Scott, his appointment should have finished by now. I hoped that they would call me and tell me how it went, but they would call me tomorrow.

Gordon and Tin-Tin were down in the pool, trying to lighten up and have fun in this traumatic time.

I glanced down at the pen and paper I brought with me.

'Just write,' I thought to myself. 'If you can't tell people how you feel, you need to work it out of your system somehow.'

I sat down on a deck chair, picked up my pen, and poured my heart and soul out onto that piece of paper.

-

Scott, words cannot describe how… proud I am. I am so proud that you decided to fight this with every bit of strength and willpower you posses. But I also know that you would have never wanted to go without a fight. I know how your mind ticks, how you think, and I know that you would have thought that not fighting this would have been the easy option out. Scotty, my boy, you think that taking the easy option out is the coward's way out. It isn't. Not all the time. You need to learn the difference between the two. Anyway, we wouldn't have thought you were being a coward if you didn't go ahead with the treatment. We would have thought of you in the same way- Scott Tracy, the bravest man we ever knew.

Scott, how do you do it? You are handling this so well. If it was me, I would be a mess right now. When you told me, it felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest, shredded into tiny pieces and scattered in the ocean. I felt so bad. I felt like I failed you. I knew something was wrong; I should have confronted you then. Now you're suffering because of me.

For that, I'm sorry. Words cannot express how sorry I am. Scott, I am so, so, very worried about you.

Virgil and John, you will be his rock, his island in shark infested waters, just as Scott is mine. You two will boost him up when he is feeling down. You will give him hope when he feels like giving up. You will support him in ways I can't. For that, I want to thank both of you.

Gordon, you have gone through one of these times before, with your hydrofoil accident. You, of all people, know how scary time like this can be. You will make him laugh in a flash, when he is sad and upset. You can relieve some of the tension he feels. You may not know it yet, but Gordon, you will be his emotional support and tower of strength. Tin-Tin too. I know she will provide Scott a shoulder to cry on- only if he needs to. He has been so strong recently, it is only a matter of time before he breaks down completely.

Alan, you are Scott's target. He lives to support and help you through trying times, and I know that you will do the same for him. You give Scott something to live for, a sense that some one needs and relies on him. I know that you will let Scott rely on you for a change. You give him willpower to beat this cancer, and you will play a vital role in his recovery. You can also make Scott feel secure again, when he collapses. I know I can trust you to do these things.

-

I looked up, and placed my pen on the table. The sun had set and the moon was hanging lazily in the sky. I had been writing for eons. I stood up and wandered back into the villa, feeling lighter hearted than I had in a long time.

**AN: Please review.**


	9. The Referendum

**Disclaimer: See chapter three**

**AN: Tikatu and cathrl- regarding the Scott/Jeff/IR issue, there are still a couple of plot twists I haven't revealed yet. You just need to read the next couple of chapter to find them out.**

**And Tikatu- Sorry! My mistake. Thanks for pointing that out.**

Chapter Nine- A Referendum

The sun was shining on Tracy Island as the red Swift circled round the island, preparing to land. Scott had seen Dr. Conway, who had sent him to hospital for some routine, but painful, medical tests. Scott had taken Virgil and John with him for support.

From the pool, Gordon looked up. He was relieved to see the plane fly and come into land. This meant that Alan could come down from Thunderbird Five and spend some time with Scott. Their father also had something to discuss with everyone- minus Scott. Gordon watched the plane disappear from sight and went back to his swimming.

-

Fifteen minutes later, Scott, John and Virgil, walked up to the villa. When they opened the door, they found Jeff reading a book on the sofa. As they entered the room, Jeff looked up.

"How did the appointment go? What did the doctor say?" Jeff queried as he took in Scott's appearance. Today, Scott looked tired, and in a lot of pain.

"Dad, relax," Scott said, his voice dripping with tiredness. "The doctor just asked me if I was absolutely sure I wanted to take the treatment and then sent me to the hospital for routine tests."

Jeff nodded, to show that he had heard and understood.

"OK, Scott, why don't you go to your room and have a rest? You look and sound extremely tired."

Scott accepted Jeff's suggestion and walked off to his room. As soon as he had left, Jeff sent John and Gordon to pick up Alan from Thunderbird Five.

-

A while later, John, Gordon and Alan trooped into the lounge. Jeff requested that they stayed there, and he called Virgil to the lounge. Jeff told them to sit down, and he began to talk through one problem.

"As you all know, Scott has asked me to close IR down indefinitely. I have thought about this, long and hard, but I just can't close IR down. Instead, I had an idea. I think we should run on minimum team numbers. Virgil and John, if it is alright with you, I am going to take you two off duty indefinitely, so you can support Scott the best you can. I have asked both Brains and Tin-Tin, and they are happy to temporarily take your place to make the team members. If more team members are needed, I and one of the two of you can go on the rescue. That being said, I am sure that a rescue which requires so many team members will be a rare event."

John and Virgil looked at each other. Jeff was going back on his word to Scott.

"Now, to make it official, we need a referendum. On a piece of paper, write yes if you want to keep IR running. If you agree with Scott, and want IR to close, write no."

After saying that, Jeff left the room so that the votes could be made.

Gordon and Alan hastily scribbled down their answer; John contemplated the idea for two minutes and then cast his vote. Virgil hesitated, picked up his pen, poised to write, and hesitated again. He closed his eyes briefly, inhaled sharply and wrote his answer down. They each folded their piece of paper in half and placed it on Jeff's desk. They sat back of the sofa and stated talking to each other.

"I couldn't believe Scott asked Dad to close IR. " Gordon started. "I thought that Dad would rupture a major blood vessel at that request."

"I know," Alan responded. "Scott, want to close IR? I thought hell would freeze over and defrost again before Scott said those words."

Gordon and Alan both laughed at that statement, and even John managed a slight smile.

"Virgil, what do you think?" Alan asked.

"Well," Virgil pondered slowly over what he was going to say. "Scott had his reasons. He mentioned that he didn't want to worry about IR unnecessarily, but I think that was a cover up. I think he meant that he didn't want to worry about you while you were out on a rescue, especially as he knows he won't be able to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't take silly risks."

Gordon tilted his head, as he considered what Virgil had said.

"Yeah, you're probably right; there is no way Scott would want to shut IR down."

Alan nodded in agreement.

-

While the boys were talking in the lounge, Jeff had made his way to Scott's room. He knocked on the door and entered the room. He found Scott curled up on his bed. He sat down heavily on Scott's bed and saw that Scott was awake.

"Scott, I need to talk to you. It's about International Rescue."

At these words, Scott uncurled and sat up.

"What about it?"

"I can't do it, son. I can't close down IR. There's too much at risk, property and lives."

"I know you can't Dad," Scott smiled a little. "I know that there is too much at risk. It was just me and my irrational thinking. I never expected you to follow through with it." Scott paused and then continued. "in fact, if you did close IR down, I would have had to ask you to open it up again."

Jeff sighed inwardly with relief. He was thankful that Scott had understood why he couldn't close IR down.

"So, what will happen to IR, Dad?"

In an abbreviated version, Jeff retold his plan to Scott.

"I'm just waiting for the boys to cast their votes."

"What do you think will happen?"

"I'm hoping that they say yes, but you never know. Speaking of the vote, they should have finished by know." Jeff raised himself off the bed and walked briskly to the door.

"Dad," Scott called out after Jeff. "If they voted no because of me, let them know that I agree and support your idea."

-

Jeff entered the lounge and found his other sons laughing and enjoying each other's company. He strode to his desk and sorted through the votes. Clearing his throat to get his sons attention, he said, "Boys, the results are in."

-

**AN: If you want to find out what happens, you need to wait for the next chapter. Anyway, please, REVIEW!!**


	10. All in this Together

**Disclaimer: See chapter three**

**AN: Sorry the chapter is so short. I thought that this chapter was full of family fluff, and I felt that elongating the chapter would ruin it.**

Chapter Ten: All in this Together

"All the votes agree. International Rescue will run on minimum team power. Scott knows about this and he has told me that he has no problem with IR running." After Jeff released the news, he left the lounge and went for a walk to clear his head.

Huge sighs of relief were heard around the lounge. Virgil, Alan, John and Gordon were celebrating in a group hug, when a silent figure walked in the room.

"You guys are having a group hug without me?"

Virgil and Alan broke away from the hug, and saw Scott leaning in the doorway. Alan let go and ran to Scott, and squeezing him in a hug.

"Alan, loosen your grip a bit, you're hurting me."

Alan broke the hug, looking guilty. Scott still held onto Alan.

"So, how have you been, Alan?"

"I'm OK, upset about the news, though. I'm also really worried."

"What are you worried about?"

"You, whether you will make it through the treatment. What will happen to us, as a family, if you don't make it through the treatment."

Scott piercing blue gaze met Alan's worried one.

"Alan, you don't have to worry about that, because I am going to make it through the treatment. I am going to fight this cancer with every thing I've got, and I am going to beat it too."

Alan felt slightly relieved, as he started to believe in Scott's statement.

"Well, now we have that issue sorted out, can we please start on one family tradition and watch a movie?" Scott paused, and then murmured. "Cos, we're all in this together."

**AN: Next Chapter will be up soon- promise.**


	11. Arrangements to see the Specialist

**Disclaimer: See chapter three. The only characters that belong to me are Dr. Conway and Dr. Handley.**

**AN: YAY! I finally sorted through my muddled thoughts to form this chapter. Things start to happen, so the story line should start to speed up now.**

Chapter Eleven- Arrangements to see the Specialist. 

The week went by on Tracy Island, without much event. Gordon played a successful prank on Alan, Virgil sat and played the piano and john spent his evenings gazing at the stars. Scott was either found in the lounge, spending time with his siblings or in his room, just thinking. On Sunday, Dr. Conway called and asked Scott to come and see him. They agreed to meet on Monday.

-

On Monday, John, Virgil and Scott flew back to LA to see Dr. Conway. Dr. Conway called all of them into the room and shut the door.

"John, Virgil, nice to see you again. Scott, have a seat."

Scott sat down on one of the three chairs in the room. Virgil and John sat on either side of him.

"You are probably wondering why I called you in today."

"Yeah." Scott responded, afraid that his test results from the hospital showed that there was another problem. His fear had somehow etched itself onto Scott's face and the doctor felt that he had to reassure him.

"Don't worry, Scott, the tests have come back with the expected results."

Scott heaved a sigh of relief.

"I called you hear today, because I need to refer you to a specialist for the operation. There are many specialists around, but only some will operate on your stage. I have made a list of all the doctors that are willing to operate on your stage." Dr. Conway grabbed his computer mouse, opened up a document and selected print. He waited a few minutes for the document to print and then grabbed it from the resting tray.

"I would strongly recommend Dr. Handley. He has had plenty of experience in dealing with the cancer and has performed many operations. However, he is not located in Los Angeles. Due to unfortunate circumstances, he had to relocate to Sydney, Australia. However, if going to Sydney for treatment is a problem, there are two specialists in LA. They are also experienced in treating pancreatic cancer, but they are not as experienced as Dr. Handley." The doctor paused, to gather his breath.

Scott glanced sideways at John. Almost as if John read Scott's mind, he nodded in agreement. Scott looked at Virgil. Virgil mimicked John. Scott then spoke.

"Doctor, we'll go with the one you recommended. We will go with Dr. Handley."

Surprised at his patient's quick decision, Dr Conway cleared his throat to mask his surprise.

"Do you need any time to think about it?"

Scott shook his head. When he made a decision, he stuck to it.

"Right, I will make an appointment with him and fax him your letter of referral." Saying that, Dr. Conway picked up the phone and dialled a number to make the appointment.

A few minutes later, Dr. Conway had made the appointment.

"The appointment is on Thursday at 10 o' clock. The address of the Clinic is 787 Pittwater Road, Manly, Sydney."

The trio took this as their que to leave the Doctor's office. As Scott turned to leave, the doctor spoke out.

"Scott, I still want to have two weekly check- ups as well. Make sure that you make an appointment with me before you leave."

Scott nodded in agreement, and turned to leave.

-

They returned to the hotel room and rang Jeff. They told him that they would stay LA for the night, and they would catch a commercial flight to Sydney on Tuesday. It would take too long to service the Swift as it was damaged in the flight to Los Angeles. After the phone call to Jeff, Virgil opened his laptop and booked three tickets on AC 559 and AC33. Virgil was annoyed at the fact that they would have to change planes in Vancouver. John and Scott were doing some quick packing, so that they were ready to leave to get to the airport. Once they did that, they decided that they would have to visit the Australian embassy for visas. After they had made plans for the next day, each one of them went to sleep.

-

They received Australian tourist visas without a problem and they then checked out of the hotel they were staying in, and left to go to the airport for their flight.

-

The flight to Vancouver took off and landed late, but thankfully, Scott, John and Virgil could still connect to their flight to Sydney.

-

They landed in Sydney on Thursday at 5.55 AM (AEST), cleared Customs and immigration and left the terminal. They caught the train to Pymble, and then caught a bus to the beach. When they arrived, they checked into a bed and breakfast opposite the beach, and went to catch up on some sleep as they were a little bit jet lagged. By that time, it was 8.30 in the morning.

The alarm clock rang at 9.20, leaving them enough time to get ready and leave for the appointment. Ten minutes later, the trio were walking up Pittwater Street, looking for 787. They saw 787 was a four floor high building, so they entered the building and had a look at the directory. John saw that Dr. Handley's clinic was on the second floor. He dragged the other two to the lift, stepped inside and pushed button number two.

-

The lift ride was short. As soon as the lift doors opened, Scott was certain that they were on the wrong floor. They were in a dark dingy room, with no windows and a few broken chairs. There was only one door, apart from the lift door. Virgil was the first one to voice his concerns.

"Scott, let's go. I bet even cockroaches avoid this dump."

John could sense Scott tense up. Trying to reassure him, John placed his arm around Scott's shoulder. The trio were so engrossed in their surroundings, they didn't notice a shadow slink towards the doorway.

"Mr. Scott Tracy, please." The mysterious voice called out.

John gave Scott a gentle tug and whispered

"Come on, Scott. It will be fine."

Not as reassured, Scott and Virgil followed.

**AN: Please review. Nice things and constructive criticism are fine, but nothing nasty or mean. **


	12. Meet Dr Handley

**Disclaimer: see chapter three. The only character that belongs to me in this chapter is Dr. Handley.**

Chapter Twelve- Meet Dr. Handley.

John entered the room behind the mysterious figure, and sat on one of the two vacant chairs. The figure then sat down and sifted through the papers on his desk, looking for a file. Scott entered the room, eyed the surroundings and sat down. Virgil followed Scott into the room and did a double take. He looked around, drinking in the surroundings. The office was huge. The room had a solid mahogany table and on it was a state of the art computer. The walls were sparkling white. It had a light and airy feel, there was sunlight streaming through the window that overlooked Manly Beach. One window was open, and a light sea breeze blew through into the room.

"If this is what your office is like, why is the waiting room so grotty?" Virgil muttered to no-one in particular.

The figure heard this, and looked up.

"Let's just say, patients are reassured when they see my office. Tell me, does this make me a better doctor or a worse one?" he questioned dryly.

Virgil smiled sheepishly as he understood the point the doctor was trying to make.

The doctor turned away from Virgil and looked at John and Scott. Hazarding a guess at which one was Scott, Dr. Handley looked at John.

"So, you must be Scott."

John shook his head, so Dr. Handley turned and faced the other person sitting there.

"Sorry about that. _You _must be Scott."

Scott nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"I have read your notes and I would like to get you into surgery as soon as possible. It is vital that we remove the cancer before it has a chance to spread further. However, I need to discuss the courses of treatment. You have a choice- you can have the chemotherapy and radiotherapy before the operation, or you can have it after the operation."

"Which one would you recommend?" Scott queried.

"I would recommend that you go for the surgery first because chemotherapy and radiotherapy weaken the body and that weakens the chances of survival." Doctor Handley paused, and then he continued. "However, if you choose to have the surgery first, we will have to wait a while before we can start the chemo and radiotherapy. Either way, there are risks and gains. But, like I said, it's entirely up to you."

Scott was utterly confused. He needed help. He shot a slight glance at Virgil and then John. John shrugged his shoulders and mouthed 'It's your decision.'

Virgil closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. After an eternity, it seemed, he murmured

"Go for the surgery first. You've got a higher chance of survival."

Scott looked at the doctor and addressed him.

"Doctor Handley, I would like to have the operation first and then the therapies."

"Excellent decision, Scott." Doctor Handley agreed. "Now, we have to fit you in." Doctor Handley glanced down at his appointment book. "Unfortunately, I don't have an empty appointment slot on Friday, but I do have a space on Wednesday." Doctor Handley picked up his pen and wrote Scott's name in the book. "Like I said, I would like to remove the cancer as soon as possible, before it has a chance to spread."

John was surprised at how fast Dr Handley could operate on Scott. He had read in a medical journal that it can take months for the life saving operation.

Doctor Handley clicked on his mouse, printed something, placed the printout in an enveloper and sealed it. He handed the envelope to Scott.

"Inside the envelope, there are details of the operations. There are consent forms that I need you to sign and bring with you, when you go to the hospital. " Saying that, Doctor Handley stood up, opened the door and showed them out.

**AN: Please review. This chapter took ages to type, and I need to know if it was worth it.**


	13. Opinions

**Disclaimer: See Chapter three**

**AN: thanks for the reviews- they help me improve on my writing.**

Chapter Thirteen- Opinions.

The triad walked out of the building and stepped into the shining sun. John suggested that they went for a stroll on the beach. Scott thought that was a good idea and Virgil readily agreed. They crossed Pittwater Road, and stepped onto the fine sanded beach. The sky and Pacific Ocean were a crisp blue and the air had the lingering smell of salt. The sea breeze gently ruffled their locks.

In a line, they walked leisurely towards the water. John stayed on the semi dried sand, Virgil let the water lick at the sides of his feet. Scott walked straight into the oncoming waves' path. The wave crashed on the beach, the water level reached Scott's knee.

"You shouldn't do that, Scott," John called out. "The water will make the sand stick to the ends of your jeans."

"I don't' mind," Scott called back. "The water feels really refreshing."

They strolled along in companionable silence, until Virgil asked the question that was playing on everyone's mind.

"So, what do you think? Good doctor or bad doctor?"

John frowned slightly, as he thought about his answer.

"He seemed slightly… eccentric."

There was a pause, and then Scott voiced his opinions.

"He seemed to be slightly.." Scott paused, as he searched for the right word, "distant. There was something about him that made me uneasy."

Scott stopped, turned right, and walked back two feet. He sat down heavily on the dry-ish sand.

"Virg, what about you?"

"I don't like him and I don't trust him." Virgil stated adamantly. "He doesn't seem to take as seriously as Dr. Conway implied he would. I get the impression that he thinks that this is not that serious, and it is nothing more than routine procedure. Something about him doesn't feel _normal_."

They sat and watched the waves roll onto the sand, for a few minutes, until John came up with an ingenious suggestion.

"When we get back to the room, I'll run a search on Dr. Handley."

Scott and Virgil nodded in agreement and they sat on the beach, watching the waves roll in.

-

A while later, they were settled back in the room they were staying in. As promised, John did a search on Dr. Handley. He stopped scrolling down the web page, and clicked on the hyperlink. He read the site eagerly, and then let out an audible gasp.

"Scott, Virgil," he called out urgently. "You really should see this."

**AN: Please, please, PLEASE, review and let me know if you like it. **


	14. More to him than Meets the Eye

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: I Googled about doctors and the "struck –off" list, but I didn't really understand the explanation. Therefore, the result below is my interpretation of what I read. If you think it is wrong, please, feel free to let me know in a review and I will fix it up as soon as possible. Thanks. **

Chapter Fourteen- More to Him than Meets the Eye.

Scott and Virgil huddled around John and the computer screen. Their eyes scanned the web page before them.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the Tracy siblings. Virgil forced himself to break the silence.

"I said we shouldn't trust him." Virgil was unable to contain his next thought. "I was right!"

Scott was frozen; the only response he made was blinking. John rose out of his seat, and guided Scott to the sofa. John gently pushed Scott into a sitting position.

"Scott, are you OK?"

No response; just blinking.

Sighing, John sat next to Scott, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It's not too late to change doctors, you know." Virgil tried to persuade Scott.

Scott ignored John and Virgil. He muttered to himself

"I should actually open that envelope, and see what's inside."

Scott was just getting up, when John held him down, and indicated that Virgil would get the envelope. Virgil grabbed the envelope off the bed, and handed it to Scott.

Silently, Scott ripped open the seal of the envelope, and took out the contents. The first page was the consent form for the operation and the venue and time for the operation. The next three pages included background information about the operation and the last page provided information about post surgery.

Sighing slightly, Scott questioned

"What did the website say again?"

Virgil was already standing and ran to the computer, eager to read the website out loud.

'"Dr. Handley, well respected surgeon of pancreatic cancer, has narrowly avoided being struck off the medical registry." Virgil skimmed over the section that described Dr. Handley's character, and stopped at the incident in question. He re-read the section and summarised it in his own words.

"Dr. Handley had performed clinical trials all of his patients, even patients that hadn't consented to the trials. The two things that stopped him from being struck-off the list was the fact that the clinical trials were successful and saved most of the patient's lives, and the fact that he is a world renowned surgeon with major successes." There was a note of disdain in Virgil's voice.

Virgil paused, watching Scott's reaction. Scott did not react; causing the brother's to wonder if Scott was actually listening. Scott dug into his jean pocket, and pulled out his phone. He dialled home.

"Hey, Gordon, it's me."

John and Virgil heard a muffled voice on the other end of the line.

"Yes, no, yes. Gordon, can you stick Dad on the phone, please?"

John and Virgil heard the next part of the conversation, as they had moved closer to Scott.

"Literally, or metaphorically? 'Cause, if you're being literal, I need to find the superglue first."

Scott's irritability factor had risen incredibly. All he had wanted to do was talk to his Dad, and he was practically fighting with Gordon, as Gordon refused to get Jeff.

"Gordon, stop hunting for the superglue. I was talking metaphorically, not literally. Put Dad on the phone, NOW!"

"OK, OK, I heard you the first time Scott. There's no need to yell at me." Gordon was upset that Scott had yelled at him, especially over the phone.

After an eternity, or so it seemed, Scott could finally talk to Jeff.

"Son, how did the appointment go?"

"Appointment was fine, Dr. Handley is slightly… eccentric, a bit like Brains, and the operation is happening on Wednesday."

Like John, Jeff was surprised. Not at the speed of the treatment, but at how blunt and direct Scott was being. It was almost as though he was hiding something.

"Scott, is everything alright?"

There was an awkward silence, as Scott deliberated over telling Jeff about the doctor's past.

"Yes, Dad, everything else is fine. We are leaving for LA tomorrow, hopefully the Swift will be fixed and we will be home in two days time."

"OK, Scott, we'll see you then." After saying that, Jeff hung up the phone.

As soon as Scott placed his mobile back in his pocket, Virgil rounded on him.

"Scott, why didn't you tell him? Dad deserves to know about Dr. Handley's shady past."

By now, Scott's irritability factor had reached maximum.

"It was my decision to not tell him." Scott growled. "If I told him, he would not let the operation go ahead. Dad is not the one living with cancer. You're not the one living with cancer. I am. So just BACK OFF!" Saying that, Scott stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

**AN: Virgil and Gordon really need some lessons in social interaction. Reviews, as always, are welcome and are appreciated. **


	15. Reconciliation and Tension in the House

**Disclaimer: See Chapter three**

**AN: Things start to move now, finally. Thiswill probably be a very long chapter because there is so much to write about.**

Chapter Fifteen- Reconciliation and Tension in the Household

It had been nearly two hours after Scott had stormed out of the room they were staying in, and despite the argument, Virgil was starting to worry about him. Unable to stay still, confined in the room, Virgil jumped off the bed and headed to the door. John looked up, with a questioning look on his face.

"I'm going to look for Scott. It has been ages since the argument, and I am worried about him."

"Even so," John countered. "Don't you think that Scott will come back when he is ready?"

"Still, I'll feel better I actually do something."

Saying that, Virgil walked out the door, leaving John all alone.

-

Virgil found Scott sitting on the wet sand, staring into space, the tide gently sweeping around him in regular intervals. The sun was setting, and that cast a pinky- orange glow in the sky. Sensing that someone was there, Scott turned his head and looked up. He saw the shadowy form of Virgil standing over him

"Do you mind if I join you?"

"I don't own the beach" was the reply.

Virgil sighed: he took that as a no. he really hated it when Scott started talking like a cryptic crossword. Virgil never knew where he stood with Scott when that happened.

They sat, watching the waves and surfers, until Scott broke the silence between them.

"Virgil, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just that, this is so… sudden. And even though I have gotten my head around the fact that I have cancer, I still need time to get used to it."

Virgil smiled slightly, he knew exactly why Scott reacted the way he did.

"Anyway, I shouldn't have let that happen, and I am really sorry that I yelled at you. I know you were just looking out for me, like you always do."

"Scott, you were bound to let go of your emotions somehow. And it was partly my fault. I shouldn't have pressurised you into telling Dad. As you said, it is your decision. And for that, I'm sorry."

"So, we cool?"

"Yeah," Virgil responded. "We're cool."

They watched the waves roll in and the sky turn from pinky- orange to sapphire blue.

-

They returned to the room a while later, only to find John lying on the bed, half asleep. Well, it had been a long day, for all of them, and they had to get up early to catch their flight tomorrow. Virgil and Scott looked at each other and decided that they should probably get some sleep too. After all, tomorrow promised to be a long day.

-

The trio woke up and got ready hurriedly to catch a train to go to the airport for their flight. They landed in LA, and left the airport. A short while later, they arrived at the air strip and found out that the Swift was fixed. Scott and Virgil ran pre flight checks while John loaded the plane with their luggage. They took off for the flight back to Tracy Island.

-

They arrived on the island just before dinner time. The trio ate dinner, made small talk and went to bed early.

In the days leading to the operation, the tension in the Tracy household mounted to an extreme level. Alan spent most of his time working on Thunderbird Three, John spent time in his room, Jeff couldn't stop working on his paper pile, and when he did stop, all he could do was pace around the house. Virgil could be found at the piano, playing music to match the tension in the house. Brains tinkered around in his lab, and Tin-Tin provided a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. In a misguided attempt to disperse the tension, Gordon played more pranks on unsuspecting members of the family. Scott could be found sitting on the beach, the wind breezing through his locks and an emotionless expression on his face.

Monday had to be the tensest day of them all. Gordon played the oldest prank in the book (Cling wrap over the toilet seat), Alan and John only reappeared for meals, Jeff's head was buried in paperwork and Virgil was glued to the piano. Scott was somewhere on one of the many beaches, thinking and reflecting. Suddenly Scott got up and walked back to the house. There was something he needed to do.

**AN: Sorry if the chapter bored you, but it creates the lead up for the next chapter, which will be up soon. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	16. Emotional Release

**Disclaimer: See chapter three. Tash and Tommy belong to me.**

Chapter Sixteen- Emotional Release

Scott made his way to his room. He grabbed a notepad and tore out three pieces of paper. He sat down at his desk and picked up his pen. He paused, and then started towrite.

-

Dear Alan,

This is the hardest thing I have had to do in a long time. You know how things have been in the past fortnight, and I'm sorry I was distant for the first couple of days after you found out the news.

Anyway, it is great to have you back here on Earth, and not in that tin can. I guess it worked out well for you, because you prefer to go on the rescues, not stay and monitor them from outer space.

Anyway, back to what I really wanted to write about. I going to tell you something I haven't told anyone. About the operation. I'm scared. I'm scared of what will happen if I do survive. I'm scared of what will happen to the family if I don't make it. Great, now this sounds slightly morbid.

But anyway, you know how we watched a movie when you came down from Thunderbird 5? Yeah, that really calmed me down, and stopped my nerves from overpowering my others senses and emotions.

Just one more thing before I finish the letter (only by now, it is more of a thesis,) I know that you want to know more about Mum. So when I get better, you and me are going to have a long talk together about her. I even have some pictures of her- wrapped in paper, under the shirts on the shelf in the cupboard. Feel free to have a look, just let me know when you do.

Love Scott.

PS. I forgot to mention something in my letter- it brave for someone to not be afraid, but it is braver for someone to admit that they are afraid. Just remember that.

-

Dear Gordon,

I'll try and keep this light hearted and fluffy, cause I know you won't take it seriously. So, what can I tell the joker of the pack?

Well, first of all, the prank you pulled today was hilarious for me. I'm actually really surprised that Dad fell for it. Cling wrap over the toilet seat, even I saw that coming.

Do you remember when we were in Kansas and Tash and Tommy were our neighbours? Probably not, you were only four at the time. Anyway, Tommy, Tash and I used to plan and play pranks every day in the summer holidays. We used to get away with it too, most of the time. That's why it's very difficult for you to prank me.

So basically, what I'm trying to say is that, when I'm better, maybe we could team up against the whole family, and prank them? Good idea, bad idea? Let me know if you ever want to do that. They won't suspect a thing.

One last thing, you are honestly the strongest person I know. You go through the hardest time in your life. After your hydrofoil accident, the doctors told you that you would never walk again. What made you defy the odds? Anyway, I'm glad you did. Things wouldn't be the same if you were in a wheelchair.

Love Scott.

-

Dear John and Virgil,

Firstly, thank you for being there for me these past few days. You have been a tower of strength for me in the past two weeks. Without you two, I don't know how I would have coped.

John, you are the peace maker in the family. You keep everyone calm, even when they feel like they are about to explode. You are like the glue that keeps us together, but you're not here that often. You're stuck for six months on Thunderbird Five.

John, we don't spend that much time together now. You're stuck on Five for half the year, and when you do come down, we always have rescues. So, when you do come down from Five, I reckon we could take one weekend off from IR, and have some quality time together. Just you and me. Let me know if you like that idea.

Virgil, you have been so understanding and forgiving these past few days, and I can't thank you enough for that.

Do you remember when we were teenagers, and we had started going to the same school and they stuck us in the same winter play? I don't think I ever told you this, but I really enjoyed the time we spent together then. When I get better, you and me are going to spend some more time together.

Love Scott.

-

Scott placed his pen on the desk, and folded each letter twice and placed them in the respective rooms. He then headed back to his room and went to bed. Tomorrow would be a longday. A very long day.

**AN: next chapter will be up soon- either today or tomorrow. Please review. **


	17. The Big Day Arrives

**Disclaimer: See Chapter three. Any characters that don't belong in Thunderbirds reality are mine.**

**AN: OK, I am feeling a little bit depressed because no-one has reviewed since chapter thirteen- that's a whole four chapters ago. Please review, because if you don't, something might just happen to Scott. Just a little incentive to get you reviewing. **

**Author-whingeing session has now finished. I will move onto the story. **

Chapter Seventeen- The Big Day Arrives

The flight to Sydney was uneventful, the Tracy clan landed just after nine at night on Tuesday, and they checked themselves into a hotel. The night time was the worst time for Scott. He lay awake throughout the night, his worries and fears ping-ponged around his head, and when he did fall asleep, he had nightmares that something went wrong in the operation.

-

Wednesday was a blur for Scott. He had been admitted into Hornsby Hospital. All he could remember were having tests, tests, tests, eating jelly, and having more tests. The rest of the Tracy clan had been told to wait in the waiting lounge for more information. Jeff refused to move and he remained with Scott while the tests took place.

Just after the last blood sample had been taken, Dr. Handley and someone came and met Scott.

"Hello Scott, how are you feeling today?" Dr. Handley greeted

"Nervous. Very nervous." Scott replied. He tipped his head to the side as he observed the other person.

"Scott. This is the anaesthetist. She has read your notes, but need to ask you some questions to confirm that what you have written is correct."

The anaesthetist sat down on a vacant chair, and had a clipboard with his notes at the ready. She smiled warmly, trying to reassure Scott.

"I just need to know whether you have had any operations in the past."

Scott shook his head.

"Do you have any allergies or bad reactions to any medications?"

"Morphine. I'm allergic to morphine."

The anaesthetist nodded and wrote that down. She glanced at here watch and stood up from the chair.

"I'd better go now to prep the theatre; you will be taken down in about twenty minutes for the operation."

The anaesthetist then walked out of the room, and closed the door behind her.

Jeff remained at Scott's side, and talked to him quietly, until the orderlies came and wheeled him out to the theatre, past the remaining Tracy brothers. Jeff came out behind Scott and waited with them.

"Scott'll be fine." Jeff reassured the Tracy siblings. "You'll see."

-

Meanwhile, in the operating theatre, things weren't going to plan.

"Vitals are dropping!"

"We need another blood transfusion!"

"His heart is failing; we've lost too much blood!"

"Get me the crash cart. STAT!"

Dr. Handley's assistant wheeled the crash cart over to him.

"Charge to 260!"

Dr Handley shocked his patient; there was no change.

"Again!"

No change.

"Charge to 300!"

All Dr. Handley heard was the monotone drone of the machine, indicating a flatline.

**AN: If you don't want anything bad to happen to Scott, you MUST, I repeat, MUST review!!!**


	18. Happenings in the Head

**Disclaimer: see chapter three.**

Chapter Eighteen- Happenings in the Head

Scott awoke with a start, and realised that he wasn't in hospital. He wasn't even in Australia. Scott blinked, as he took in his surroundings. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he remembered it from. Then it hit him. He was outside the door of his childhood home in Kansas. Curious, he pushed open the door and walked inside. There was a homely feel, and Scott could smell the faint scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Whether the smell was real, or whether he was imagining the smell, Scott didn't know. Scott pulled out a wooden chair, and sat down at the solid, oak table, feeling content and at peace.

"I was wondering when you would walk through that door." A soft, melodic voice rang through the tranquillity of the silent house. Startled, Scott turned in his chair, and came face to face with someone he least expected to see.

"Mum?"

"Yes, Scottie, it's me." Lucy said with a smile.

"But aren't you..?" Scott asked puzzled.

"Yes, I am." Came the brief reply.

"So am I…?" Scott asked again.

"No, Scottie, you are not dead, yet." Lucy reassured Scott. "You are one of the few people who have a choice, you can return back to your brothers and Jeff, or you can stay with me and help me look after them from above."

Still confused, Scott tilted his head to the right.

"Is this for real, or am I imagining this?" he asked.

"However," Lucy continued, as if Scott hadn't asked a question. "There are certain rules I have to follow. Before you make your decision, I need to tell you about both sides- living and dead. But you need to choose carefully, once you make a decision, you cannot change your mind. The rules will not allow it."

"The dead have rules?" Scott asked sceptically.

Lucy turned and started walking. Eager to hear about both sides, Scott leapt off his chair and followed Lucy.

"First of all, if you join me, there will be no pain and no suffering- the thing you crave most right now. You will be at total peace and there will be no discomfort of daily life."

Seeing the surprised look on Scott's face, Lucy laughed.

"Oh Scott, I know exactly how you feel and how you are coping right now. I've been watching over all of you and looking after all of you."

Scott smiled at that, he really believed that his mum was always looking out for him and the others, and he was glad to know that he was right.

"However, if you don't go back, life will become very different for the remaining Tracy's. Jeff will close IR down for good; he will be grief stricken and unable to move on. He would feel that if he couldn't save his own son, he is not worthy of saving anyone. John would isolate himself even more; he won't talk to anyone or do anything. John will just fade away into the background. Virgil will stop painting and playing the piano. He wouldn't do anything that made him happy; one of the side effects of dealing with his grief. Gordon won't play pranks or crack jokes; he would become an empty shell. Alan would keep wondering if there was something different that could be done. Alan wouldn't grieve or let go. It will drive him mad and eat him up from the inside out."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Scott asked incredulously. "If so many bad things are going to happen, wouldn't it be better if I just went back?"

"Wait a moment, Scott; you still need to hear about the other side." Lucy stopped talking, and took in Scott's appearance. It was painful for Lucy to see how alike Scott and Jeff were.

"You are just like your dad, Scott. Just like him." Lucy shook her head slightly and sighed deeply.

"Anyway, if you go back, the path you have to travel will be filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, highs and lows. It will be eventful, but sometimes that's a good thing."

"Mum, can I ask a question? If I go back, what's there for me? I mean, you told me what would happen if I didn't go back, so what happens to me and the others if I go back?"

"I'm sorry," Lucy apologised. "Scott, I can't tell you. It's a rule. The dead can't give glimpses of the future which links directly to the person who has to decide."

"Huh? I don't understand."

"Basically, I can't tell you your future if you decide to live. There are too many variables, and if we predict wrongly, there can be serious repercussions."

"Oh, I get it now." Scott said.

Lucy and Scott walked in companionable silence, until Lucy asked the all important question.

"Have you made a decision, Scott?"

"Yes, I have. I'm sorry, mum, but I have to go back. There are so many lives that will be affected if I don't."

Lucy nodded understandingly, and headed towards the stairs. Before she reached the banister, Scott's voice rang out.

"Mum, why didn't you come back?"

Lucy turned and faced her eldest son.

"I never had that choice."

She started her ascent up the stairs as Scott headed to the front door. Before Scott left, Lucy called out.

"Scott, tell Jeff and your brothers that I said hi, and that I am always looking after them."

Scott nodded. He placed his hand on the door handle, and was about to leave when his mother's voice rang out again.

"In answer to your question, of course this is happening inside your head, by why shouldn't it be real?"

Scott smiled as his question was finally answered.

"And Scott, because you are not coming today, someone will be taken in your place."

Back in the operating theatre, the doctors were about to give up, but then a steady heart rhythm appeared on the machine.

Dr Handley heaved a sigh of relief. He started to talk to his patient.

"You gave us quite a scare there, Scott. Glad to have you back with us."

**AN: no, i couldn't do it, lissysue, I couldn't kill Scott off. He is my favourite character and I can torture him, and make him suffer, but I simply cannot kill him. AND PLEASE REVIEW! Otherwise Scott might just have to suffer some more.**


	19. Seeing Scott

**Disclaimer: see chapter three and seventeen****.**

Chapter Nineteen- Seeing Scott 

Dr. Handley ripped off his operating gown and placed it in the disposable bag. Now he had to tell the patient's family about the operation. He pushed the door open. John saw the door opening and leapt up off his chair. Dr Handley walked up to the family, who were waiting eagerly for some news.

"Mr. Tracy, Virgil, John," Dr. Handley addressed those three and nodded briefly to Gordon and Alan. "On the whole, the operation was a success, but,"

"But?" Jeff prompted.

"There were some complications."

"Complications?" echoed Virgil.

"Scott lost a lot of blood, and needed a lot of transfusions. His heart also stopped halfway through the operation."

Jeff, sat down slowly, horrified that his son had suffered so much.

"However," Dr. Handley continued. "With hard work and perseverance, we managed to revive him. At this point in time, we are not sure how much damage that caused, but we will know more when Scott wakes up from the anaesthetic."

"Where is he, can we see him?" John asked urgently.

"Scott is in Intensive Care Unit. You can't see him right now because the nurses are working on him right now, but I will show you the I.C.U. waiting room, and someone will call you in."

True to his word, Dr. Handley led the Tracys through a labyrinth of hallways and wards. He showed them into another waiting room.

The waiting room had two faded sofas, and a table top full of out of date magazines. Jeff sat down resignedly on one of the sofas. Virgil and John sat on either side of him. Alan and Gordon sat on the other sofa, waiting together in silence.

After what seemed like an age, the Tracy clan were allowed in to see Scott, but only three people were allowed in at a time. It was decided that Alan and Gordon would see Scott first, and then Virgil and John and Jeff would go in together.

Gordon and Alan walked briskly to the I.C.U. ward, eager to see how Scott was. They impatiently, but thoroughly washed their hands. They walked up to the nurse's station and a nurse guided them to Scott's room.

"He came around a while ago, but has just fallen asleep. Try not to wake him." The nurse warned the two brothers. She quietly pulled back the curtain that gave Scott some privacy, and the two brothers moved closer to Scott. The curtain fell back in place behind them.

Alan stood as still as a statue, shocked at the sight of Scott. There were tubes everywhere, going in and out of his body, each hooked up to a different sinister looking machine.

Gordon stood over Scott's bed and gently grasped his hand. He was surprised when he felt some pressure on his hand; Scott was sub consciously trying to reassure Gordon. Scott groaned, and opened his eyes.

Bleary crystal blue eyes stared up into emerald green and sky blue eyes. Gordon smiled; he knew that it was the small things like smiles and reassurance that stopped him from panicking when he was in hospital after his hydrofoil crash.

"Hey, Scott." Alan began.

"Welcome back to the land of the living!" quipped Gordon.

Scott's eyes instantly became more alert, and his body tensed up. His body protested at the action and his face was contorted in agonising pain.

'Welcome back to the land of the living?' he thought warily. 'What does _that_ mean?'

Alan could see Scott tense up, and in an attempt to relax him, he grasped Scott's other hand and stroked his hair. Looking up at Gordon, Alan said

"We should let the others see him, especially now that he is awake."

Gordon leant over Scott, saying his goodbyes to him, and Alan did the same.

They walked out of the ward and into the waiting room.

"How is he?" asked Virgil.

"He," Gordon stalled, searching for the right words to describe Scott.

"He looks bloody terrible." Alan stated bluntly. "He is as white as the hospital sheets and there are tubes and wires that go in and out of him. Each tube is hooked up to a different machine." After this, Alan couldn't hold back his emotions. He started to wail loudly.

"It isn't fair, he's in so much pain and, and," Alan was so hysterical, he couldn't continue to talk. Gordon wrapped Alan into a tight embrace and began to gently rock him from side to side. Gordon knew that this would calm Alan down, like it did when he was a child.

Jeff's heart broke at the sight of his two youngest sons. It took a lot to upset Alan. Virgil and John glanced worriedly at each other. Alan had painted a very negative image of Scott in their heads. Well, there was only one way to find out how Scott really was. They lead Jeff to the ICU ward, washed their hands and found Scott's bed.

Scott was awake, but only just.

Virgil and John looked at each other and then held onto his hands. Alan's description had been accurate. Scott did look 'bloody terrible.' He was as white as a sheet; some would go so far to say that Scott was almost translucent. There were tubes running in and out of Scott.

Jeff's heart turned to ice as he saw his son for the first time after his operation.

Scott's eyes swivelled past Virgil and John, and they sought out his father. Jeff noticed the pain in Scott's eyes, and he wished that he could just take all the pain away from his eldest son.

A nurse walked in behind the visitors and checked Scott's vital signs. Before she left, Jeff asked the inevitable question.

"Can you give him some pain relief, please?"

The nurse turned around.

"No, I'm sorry." The nurse smiled sympathetically. "In his condition, the only thing we can give is morphine, and since Scott is allergic to that, he will have to bear the pain."

Jeff nodded understandingly. He ran to Scott's side when he saw his son's face screwed up in agony. John released the hand he was holding and Jeff grabbed his hand. Scott squeezed Jeff's fingers tightly, as though his life depended on it.

Jeff resumed stroking Scott's hair affectionately, while murmuring reassuring sentences.

"I know, I know, Scotty, I know you hurt. The pain will stop. I promise, the pain will stop."

Slowly, the pain subsided, and Scott's death like grip became lax.

Scott drifted off to sleep soon after that episode of pain. Jeff watched Scott for a few minutes, before motioning to the others that it was time for them to go. Virgil and John leant over Scott and whispered their goodbyes. Jeff stroked his hair one last time, stood up and the three of them walked out of the ICU ward.

**AN: Thank you for all your reviews, they are really encouraging. One review from the previous chapter sparked off another idea, so there might be a sequel to this story, I haven't decided yet. I need to see how schoolwork goes. Anyway, please review.**


	20. Wanna tell me what's really going on?

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: This will probably be a very short chapter because I got vaccinated today and my arms and fingers are stiff and swollen and it hurts real bad. They did it in my dominant typing arm (left!) Damn. **

Chapter Twenty- Do you wanna tell me what's really going on?

Scott's state improved and the hospital staff deemed it safe to give him some painkilling medication, something they couldn't do directly after his operation. He didn't know about what had happened in the operation and he had a lot of unanswered questions and strange memories. John and Virgil stayed at Scott's side constantly, so that he wasn't alone.

On Friday afternoon, he was moved from I.C.U. to a room on a different ward. In the evening, Dr. Handley went to see Scott and how he was doing.

"How are you today, Scott? Is the oxycodone numbing the pain?"

"Yeah, the pain isn't that bad today." Scott said with his fingers crossed behind his back. His eyes swivelled quickly from left to right. This action wasn't unnoticed by Virgil.

"On a scale of one to ten?"

"About a seven."

Dr Handley was relieved to hear that the analgesics were reliving some of the pain.

"Do you know what happened in the operation?"

Scott shook his head, as Gordon's statement echoed around his head. '"Welcome back to the land of the living."' Scott half hoped he would find out why Gordon had said that.

"The operation was a success," Dr. Handley started. "But there was an unexpected complication."

"And that was?" prompted Scott.

Dr. Handley had one policy- he would tell his patients everything in a blunt, direct fashion.

"You went into a cardiac arrest. It took a lot of hard work to bring you back."

Suddenly, things started to fit into place, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle were being placed together to form a whole picture. That was what Gordon had meant. That was why he had such a strange but vividmemory of seeing his mother.

"How long was I out?"

Dr. Handley was puzzled, and then he realised what Scott was trying to ask.

"You were in cardiac arrest for just over two and a half minutes." Dr. Handley could see that Scott was tiring, and had to excuse himself.

"Get some rest, Scott. I'll see you later to discuss the second half of the treatment."

As soon as Dr Handley had left the room and closed the door behind him, Virgil rounded on Scott.

"O.K. Scott, do you wanna tell me what's really going on?"


	21. Scott Reveals all to Virgil

**Disclaimer: see chapter three.**

**AN: Sorry I didn't update yesterday, but injection arm had swollen up to the size of a watermelon, and it was impossible to move. Today, it is the size of a soccer ball and slightly stiff, so this is another shortish chapter.**

**Anyway, on a different note, I am eighty five percent sure that there will be a sequel to this story, but I will have to see how things go with schoolwork and other commitments, and I have to finish this story first.**

Chapter Twenty One- Scott Reveals all to Virgil

Scott revolved his head slowly towards Virgil.

"What makes you think that something is wrong?" he asked slowly.

"I know you, Scott, and I know when you lie."

"I wasn't lying!" Scott countered indignantly

"No, you weren't," Virgil admitted. "You were telling a shaded truth, which is essentially the same thing!" 

Scott continued to stare at Virgil, daring him to keep on talking.

"How bad is the pain, Scott?"

No answer.

"I'm going to keep on asking until you answer. How bad is the pain?"

There was an ominous silence.

"How bad is the pain, on a scale of one to ten?"

Scott sighed; he hated being interrogated by one of his brothers. Especially when it was Virgil; they were so close, it was impossible to lie to one another.

"Off the scale." Scott admitted rather reluctantly.

"Why did you tell the doctor that it was a seven?" Virgil questioned.

Once again, Scott didn't answer.

"I'll ask once more, why did you tell Dr. Handley that the pain was only a seven on a scale of one to ten?"

"Because, because," Scott stalled, playing for time.

"Because?" prompted Virgil.

"Because I hate the way they make me feel. I always feel drowsy and nauseous, and that makes me feel, well, out of control. And I hate that feeling."

Scott paused, waiting for Virgil to interrupt, but he didn't.

"The only way to stop that feeling is to stop taking the painkillers."

"So, basically, you were going to say that the pain isn't as bad as it really is, to get off the painkillers?" Virgil summarised succinctly.

"Well, yeah, that was the general idea." Scott replied.

Virgil suddenly remembered what the I.C.U. nurse had said- that she couldn't give him any pain relief. Taking this memory, and Scott's revelation, Virgil put two and two together to make four.

"So, in I.C.U., they wouldn't give you the painkillers, because you asked them not to?"

"Give the boy a gold star." Scott said sarcastically.

"Why Scott! I mean, when did you become so irrational?"

By now, Scott was tired from all the questions. His irritability had risen tremendously, and inevitably, he started to shout.

"When did I become so irrational! Oh, I don't know! I think dying had something to do with it!" 

After saying that, Scott rolled onto his side, so that his back was facing Virgil.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. Just leave me alone, Virgil." 

Scott hoped Virgil would get the hint and leave. He didn't.

"Scott," Virgil began, but he couldn't finish because Scott cut him off.

"Goodbye, Virgil."

"Listen, buddy,"

"Goodbye Virgil." There was more emphasis on that goodbye.

"We'll talk about this later."

"Goodbye Virgil." Still more emphasis on the goodbye.

Finally, Virgil got the hint, and headed towards the door. He walked out of the room quietly, and he shut the door softly, as Scott fell into an uneasy sleep.

**AN: that's it for this chapter. Easter's here, though, so it will give me an opportunity to write more chapters and update the story. **

**Before you say that ICU nurses don't listen to patients who don't want painkillers, I knew someone who had cancer, and when she went into ICU, she didn't want the painkillers and the nurses and doctor didn't give it to her. I am using that situation in my story. **

**And before you say, Scott wouldn't be that stupid, he would take painkillers if he was in pain, my interpretation ofScott is someone who would rather bear the pain, no matter how bad it gets before he takes painkillers. It's not irrational, just a preference. Trust me, I know what it's like, I'm one of the people who bears the pain before taking painkillers.**

**If I don't have time, though, I will write this now; have a happy Easter, and relaxing four day break (Good Friday- Easter Monday is four days, right? I've never been good at maths.) **


	22. It's My Fault

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: Yes! Arm is now down to the size of a tennis ball but it isn't stiff or painful, so I can write to my heart's content. (Sorry! That sounds really cheesy.) And, it's Good Friday, so I have four days to write and update this. Yay!**

Chapter Twenty Two- It's my Fault.

Scott woke up and found John sitting at the foot of his bed, reading the latest NASA magazine. His gaze drifted over to the window, and he saw that there was torrential rainfall. Scott shifted slightly, and this made John aware that Scott was awake.

"Hey, Scott, how're you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Scott brushed off John's question. "Where's Virgil?"

John looked uneasy, and this made Scott alarmed. 

"John, where is Virgil?" Scott repeated his question.

"I, I don't know where he is," John faltered slightly, and then continued. "He ran past me a while back. He was pretty upset, when I asked him what was wrong; he said that I should ask you."

Scott sighed wearily; he knew he would be the person that would have to explain the situation to John. He also knew that while John was more subtle about it, he wouldn't leave Scott alone until he knew the full story. In this sense, Virgil and John were like two sides of the same coin.

"Virgil is mad and upset at me." Scott hoped that this tiny bit of information would satisfy John, but it didn't.

John waited patiently for Scott to continue. He didn't. 

"And?" John prompted.

"And, he found out that in ICU, I didn't get painkillers, because I refused them." At John's incredulous look, Scott carried on. 

"You know how much I hate pain relief. They just make me feel worse." Scott sighed deeply and carried on talking in the same detached, monotone voice. 

"He kept asking why I wouldn't take them and when I became so irrational. I became really irritated and I mentioned something I shouldn't have mentioned. Then I blew him off when he tried to talk to me."

John nodded, he know understood why Scott had been irritated and why Virgil was upset. 

"Why were you so irritated, Scott?" John enquired.

Once again, Scott sighed deeply. 

"This is going to sound really weird, but when I had the operation, I thought," Scott paused, wondering whether he should tell John.

"You thought?" John queried.

"It doesn't matter." Scott dismissed.

"No, it does matter. What did you think?" John pressurised Scott into telling him. He observed Scott's facial expression and body language. Both told John that Scott was feeling extremely uncomfortable.

This puzzled John; he had never ever seen Scott look this uncomfortable and anxious. This made John want to know even more. 

"I thought I saw Mum."

Scott watched John's reaction. John had always been close to Lucy, and talking about her was almost impossible, for both, Scott and John. 

John felt like his insides had frozen. Scott had seen his mum? No, impossible. No-one cold see his mum, because she had passed on over a decade age. John turned in slow motion and faced Scott.

"You saw Mum?" John's voice was quiet, but it carried through the room.

Scott nodded, then said 

"You believe me?" he was astounded that anyone would take this seriously. 

"What did she say?"

"She said 'hi' and that she is always looking out for us from up above." Scott smiled, but the smile slid off his face as he remembered what else Lucy had said. 

Scott glanced out of the window. The torrential rainfall had turned into a thunderstorm. 

"John, when did you last see Virgil?" Scott was worried about Virgil.

"A while back, why?" John had noticed Scott's body tense and that he was disconnecting himself from all the tubes that went in and out of his body. Scott triedto ease himself out of bed, but John held him down.

"Scott, what are you doing?" John asked, sounding perplexed.

"I need to find him. It's my fault if something happens to him. I need to make sure he's alright."

"What do you mean? Scott, you're not making any sense, why is it your fault if something happens to Virgil?" John sounded wary and exasperated.

Scott stopped and stared at John.

"It's my fault if something happens to Virgil because Mum told me that if I came back, some one would have to take my place."

John stared back at Scott. He understood exactly what Scott was trying to say.

**AN: Have a happy Easter and I will try and update as soon as possible.**


	23. John to the Rescue

**Disclaimer: see chapter three. Also, Westfield and the other shops (like Sanity and Angel Music) mentioned in this chapter are not owned by me.**

**AN: HarryDear- no, you don't have to wait 4 long tiring days, I'm trying to update a chapter a day. **

**Annon from chap 22- yes, I might just trade one Tracy for the other- to find out, read on.**

Chapter Twenty Three- John to the Rescue

John walked out of the sliding hospital doors, stepping out into the thunderstorm and howling winds. He shivered slightly, as the wind bit through his t -shirt and jeans, making him feel like he had been locked in Tracy Island's freezer for hours. 

John glanced up and down the street; Virgil could have gone left or right. John paused.

'Right,' he mused. "If I was Virgil, where would I go?' 

John thought and thought. He suddenly had an idea of where Virgil might be.

'Piano. Virgil always plays the piano when he is angry or upset. If he can't play a piano, he'll listen to music instead.'

Taking a chance, John turned left on the street and started walking. He knew he was looking for a music store, or a piano store, but he didn't know where to go. He decided that he needed to ask someone for directions to the nearest music store. He spied two young adults walking away from him on the same street and ran towards them.

"Excuse me!" John called out.

They turned around and squinted suspiciously at John's appearance. John's t – shirt was soaked with rainwater and his jeans felt cold and clammy. 

"Can you tell me where the nearest music shop is, please?"

They blinked at John's request and then replied.

"No, sorry, we don't know this area very well." 

"Oh, OK, thanks anyway." John walked past the young adults and continued to walk down the street in the pouring rain. He kept on walking briskly, until he found a bus shelter. John squeezed into the overcrowded shelter and asked someone where the nearest music store was.

"The nearest music store? That would be in Westfield." Came the reply.

"Where is Westfield?" John asked politely.

"About 500 metres down the road, you'll come across a junction. Turn right on this junction and take the turn- off for the car park. Walk through the car park, it will lead you straight into Westfield. "

John thanked her and sprinted down the road. In no time at all, he was standing in Westfield.

Westfield wasn't one big store, it was a shopping mall, which was split in two halves; a water clock divided the mall into two. John hated malls, there were so many places Virgil could have gone to, and he would have to search through all of them to find him. John formulated a simple, but effective plan in his head. 

First of all, he needed a map. John found a map on one of the information boards. He opened the map, and found that there was a list of music stores. This would help John a great deal; as it narrowed down the amount of shops he would have to search through. He studied the map, and decided that he would visit the store that sold pianos first. 

John ran up the escalator to the third level. He sprinted through the air bridge that surrounded the water clock, and ran to the end of the other half of the mall, carefully avoiding the other shoppers. 

His heart sank as he approached the store, it was closed for renovations. 

John studied his map again- there were two other stores he could still search through, Sanity and AngelMusic. From his current location, Angel Music was closer, so John looked there first.

No Virgil.

John ran to Sanity and searched the store. He found Virgil at the back of the store, browsing idly. Virgil was lost in his own world. John walked quietly up to Virgil, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

"You know, it's about time we left and went back to the hospital."

Virgil jumped around in surprise.

"For crying out loud, John, don't do that. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

John just smiled.

"How long have I been here?" Virgil asked.

"Long enough for Scott to worry about you." Was the cryptic reply. "He was going to leave the hospital to try and find you."

"Scott was that worried about me?" Virgil asked, a fresh wave of guilt seeped over him. He had only meant to leave for one hour at the most, not make Scott worry about him.

"I'm sorry, John." Virgil apologized meekly. "I never meant for Scott to worry about me. I just, I needed to calm down. Scott's going to hate me. I said some things I didn't mean."

John looked Virgil straight in the eye, sea blue eyes met with burnt honey eyes.

"I know that you never meant to worry Scott, and Scott could never hate you. He knows that you didn't mean them, and that you only have his best interests at heart." John reassured Virgil.

Virgil half smiled at that. It made him feel better knowing that Scott didn't hate him.

"We should get back to the hospital." Virgil muttered. "It'll stop Scott from worrying about us."

Virgil turned and walked out of Sanity and out of Westfield, and headed back to the hospital, with John walking by his side.

**AN: lissysue- Virgil survives, he has to survive- he still has a use in this story, so I can't kill him off just yet. Just kidding, I could never kill anyone off, especially not Scott and Virgil.**

**If anyone was wondering, there is a link between the store name and Virgil. Virgil uses music to keep in touch with reality and keep him sane. He goes to the music store to regain his sanity. **

**Next chapter will be up tomorrow, hopefully. **


	24. Reconciling at Sunset

**Disclaimer: see chapter three.**

**AN: HarryDear- that is a good idea, but unfortunately, I don't have Grandma Tracy in this story.**

**Lissysue- don't worry, John survives, or does he? You never know.**

Chapter Twenty Four- Reconciling at Sunset

Scott sat on his bed, feeling helpless. It would be his fault if something happened to Virgil. Everyone in his family would blame him if Virgil took his place. He glanced at the clock on the wall. To Scott, it seemed like the time was moving at a snail's speed. He fidgeted slightly. He couldn't just sit here. He had to do something.

* * *

John and Virgil walked back to the hospital room Scott was in. The door leading into the room was closed, so John pushed it open. A surprise greeted both of them. The bed was empty and the covers to the bed were thrown aside messily. The tubes and pain relief wires were discarded on the floor. However, the door to the bathroom was closed.

"Scott," John knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you in there?"

No answer.

John pushed open the door. The room was empty.

"Dammit Scott, where are you?" John muttered angrily.

Waves of guilt flooded Virgil. Scott was missing, and it was all because he left. This was his entire fault. Virgil sat down heavily on the vacant bed, his hands gripped tightly at his hair.

John dashed out of the room and headed to the nurses station.

"Have you seen Scott anywhere?" he asked.

The nurse looked up from her paperwork.

"He should be in his room."

John shook his head. "He's not there."

The nurse walked briskly towards Scott's room and looked inside. She turned and faced John.

"He was here five minutes ago, when I checked in on him. I need to go and alert security and let them know that we have a missing patient."

She turned and walked out of the room. John flopped wearily on the bed, next to Virgil.

"Damn you, Scott. Damn you. Everything was fine, and then you just had to disappear." John moaned.

Virgil froze. His grip on his hair had loosened and he thought he knew where Scott was.

He leapt of the bed and headed for the door. At this sudden movement, John sat up.

"What's wrong, Virgil?"

"I know where he is." Virgil said almost in a trance like state. "Well, not really know, more like I have a good idea of where he is." He added as an afterthought.

He ran out of the door, down the corridor, towards the lift, with John close behind him.

* * *

"Where is he?" John demanded.

"Where does Scott go when he needs to calm down, or when he needs to think, or just be on his own for a while?" Virgil questioned.

"On Tracy Island, he goes to the beach. Says that he can sit there for ages and watch the sun…" John's voice trailed off into silence. He looked out of a window. The storm had stopped and he could see the sun set through the hazy clouds.

"Virgil, do you think that Scott has gone to the hospital garden to watch the sun set?"

"Yes! No-one will look for him there; it's isolated but calm and peaceful at the same time. In Scott's mind, it's the perfect spot!"

Virgil glanced at the lift; it was taking far too long. He headed for the stairs and climbed down them two at a time.

Once he reached the ground floor, Virgil and John ran out of the sliding doors and walked around to the back of the building, towards the hidden gardens. In the distance, they saw a lone figure that resembled Scott, sitting on a bench. Virgil's heart sank like a lead weight at that sight. John walked towards Scott and sat down next to him.

"Did you find Virgil?" Scott asked, without looking at John.

"Just look behind you." Came the reply.

Scott craned his head around and saw Virgil standing behind him. He looked sombre.

"Hello, Scott."

There was an awkward silence between the two closest brothers, as Scott eyed Virgil. Sensing that the pair of them needed to talk, John extracted himself from the situation.

"Well, I'll just let the hospital staff know that we found you, and that you are alright." He gave Scott a reassuring pat on the shoulder and went back to the hospital building. Virgil and Scott were left all alone, now.

"Scott, I'm sorry for some of the things I said earlier. I really didn't mean them. I'm also sorry for making you worry. John told me that you were willing to discharge yourself from hospital to find me." Virgil apologized.

"I know that you didn't mean them, and I'm sorry for starting an argument with you. And yes, I was willing to try and find you because it would have been my fault if something happened to you."

Virgil nodded, to indicate that he had accepted Scott's apology, but something Scott said wormed its way into his mind.

"Scott, why would it have been your fault if something happened to me? Why would you think that something would happen to me?"

Scott sighed. John had believed him. Would Virgil believe him? There was only one way to find out.

"This is going to sound strange, but when I was having the operation, I thought I saw Mum."

Virgil raised his eyebrows; this was taking the term strange to a whole new level.

"And, what did she say?"

"She told me that because I wasn't joining her, someone else would be taken in my place. And I just thought that it might have been you."

Virgil half smiled. He now understood why Scott had gotten so mad in their argument.

"Do you know who will take your place, Scott?"

"No. it could be anyone- you, John, Gordon, Alan. Might even be Dad or Kyrano or Tin-Tin. It could be anyone." Scott stated agitatedly. He stifled a yawn behind his hand, but Virgil noticed this.

"You look tired. We'd better go back to your room so you can rest." Virgil gently ordered his brother.

Scott stood up and Virgil did the same.

"You know, Scott, I'm surprised that you made it this far without feeling tired or excruciating pain."

"Yeah, well, you don't feel so much when you are worried and on an adrenalin high."

Slowly, they made their way back to his room, relieved that the argument had been sorted out, and that everything between them felt normal again.

**AN: sorry, this chapter was mainly dialogue, but I couldn't leave Scott and Virgil fighting. It wouldn't fit in with the rest of the story.**

**Anyway, I was reading through other stories today, and I came across the term 'canon.' Does anyone know what that term means? If you know, can you please let me know, because I really want to find out the meaning of 'canon'. Thanks. **


	25. Hospital Release

Disclaimer: see chapter three

**Disclaimer: see chapter three.**

**AN: people keep asking 'who's going to die?' Well, I'll give you a hint- the person has already been mentioned in the earlier chapters. Not going to give any more hints.**

**Sue- thanks for the definition :)**

Chapter Twenty Five- Hospital Release.

Saturday came and left without much event. Scott's condition continued to improve and the three brothers spent quality time together.

On Sunday, just before lunch, Dr Handley came to visit Scott. He came to do some blood tests, but wouldn't tell Scott why.

"I don't want to raise your hopes for no reason" was what he told Scott when Scott had asked what the tests were for.

Dr Handley came back with the results of the tests later in the day.

"I have some good news, Scott." he said.

Scott raised questioning eyes at the doctor.

"Your recovery, post surgery, is going well, and the blood tests results are normal. I have decided to discharge tomorrow. I have no doubt that you will recover just as well at home. Also, I think that we will only need to use chemotherapy to make sure that all the cancerous cells have been removed."

Scott smiled, this was what he wanted to hear; he could go home and do things, not sit around in a hospital bed.

"However, there are some conditions to going home. First of all, you need to rest and not over-do it. Short walks are fine, but definitely no running or swimming or other active sports. Your body is still recovering and it needs time to heal. Your blood sugar levels may go haywire in the next few weeks, as you heal. It is essential that you monitor your sugar intake otherwise you might get diabetes. The easiest way to do this is to use a blood sugar test everyday. You may have to cut back on the sugar, so this means no cakes, sweets, chocolate, soft drinks, energy drinks or sugar in drinks like tea or coffee."

Virgil and John had to swallow back their laughter; Scott looked like he had been slapped in the face when he heard 'cut back on sugar.'

"N-no sugar?" Scott stammered

"No sugar." Confirmed the doctor.

"Damn! There's a downside to everything." Scott muttered.

Dr. Handley overheard this and chuckled.

"Yes Scott, there is a downside to everything." He agreed and left the room.

* * *

Monday came around, and Scott was a bundle of nervous energy. Today was the day he was released from hospital. Today was the day he could go home. Virgil and John had gone back to the hotel they were staying in and they were going to come back and pick him up. They had promised to be back at the hospital as soon as visiting hours started, at nine o' clock.

Scott had phoned home when he heard the news, and Jeff was just as happy to hear that Scott was coming home.

Scott glanced at the clock on the wall. It was seven in the morning. Dr. Handley had promised Scott that he would be released from hospital by ten in the morning, so that they would be back on the island by evening, at the latest. For Scott, it would be a long three hours.

* * *

True to their word, John and Virgil came to keep Scott company. They were anxious to get back to the island, because they knew that Scott would recover better there. As soon as Virgil sat down, he asked John a question.

"John, what are you going to do when we arrive home?"

"Yeah, good question, Virgil" Scott chimed in.

John pondered over his answer and then replied

"I think it would be sensible to check our rooms, make sure Gordon and Alan haven't laid any 'welcome home' pranks for us. What about you, Virgil?"

Scott and Virgil smiled in understanding; it was the type of thing Gordon and Alan would do.

"I think, no, I know that I would head straight to my piano and just play and play and play."

John and Virgil looked at Scott.

"Me?" Scott said. "I'll probably get attacked by everyone. Gordon and Alan will probably ask endless questions and Dad will be relieved that I really am OK."

They continued to think about going home until Dr. Handley entered the room.

"So, are you ready to go home?"

"Yep! Been in enough hospitals to last me a lifetime."

"Well, before you go, I need you to sign some release forms, and I will also need to see you again in about a month for the chemotherapy, but that can be arranged later."

Scott took the release forms, read them and then eagerly signed them. The doctor re-read the forms, and happily left the room.

The three Tracy brothers looked at each other and then nodded. It was time to leave the hospital and go home.

**AN: so, Scott finally gets to go home and spend time with his family, and that can only be a good thing, right?**

**Please review.**


	26. Letter from a Friend

Disclaimer: see chapter three

**Disclaimer: see chapter three. However, Tommy and Tash Riley belong to my imagination.**

**AN: there is more family in this chapter, it doesn't revolve around John and Virgil. Also, to make things clear, the letter is written in italics and the commentary is written in normal text. **

Chapter Twenty Six- Letter from a Friend.

The flight home progressed and Scott was fighting off sleep, and anxious. What kind of questions would they ask? Would they just let him go and crash in his room? Probably not. They would suffocate him under a barrage of questions, and inevitably, there would be some questions he just didn't want to answer.

Virgil had noticed Scott's discomfort.

"Are you OK, Scott?"

"Yes, just tired." Scott paused, and then asked the question that had been playing on his mind. "Gordon and Alan, they haven't prepared a surprise party or something, have they? I just don't want a fuss."

"No, they haven't. Even Gordon and Alan aren't that insensitive. They know you don't like people fussing over you, so I don't think you have anything to worry about." Virgil reassured Scott.

Scott was relieved, and he gave into the sensation of sleep.

* * *

"Approaching Tracy Island. Requesting landing permission." These were the words that woke Scott up. He blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the light, or the lack of light. The sky was navy blue, and stars and constellations glittered like diamonds in the sky.

"Permission granted." Came the reply. "We're looking forward to see you."

John was piloting the jet and he landed on the designated runway smoothly. Virgil unloaded the plane (Scott tried to help, but Virgil wouldn't let him,) and John ran post flight checks.

As the trio were walking back, Scott asked John a question.

"John, why is it so late? I thought we would have been back by sundown."

"We couldn't take the most direct route. There was too much wind, and that could have damaged the plane. We had to fly up north, towards Vanuatu, before we could get back on our route. That little detour added two hours extra flight time."

Scott nodded in understanding. They walked up the steps that led to the well lit porch of the villa, turned the door knob, tentatively opened the door and observed the sight before them.

* * *

Alan and Gordon were lying on the carpeted floor, watching TV. Jeff, predictably, was hidden behind his pile of paperwork and Tin-Tin was reading a magazine. Brains was tinkering around in the corner.

Hoping to go unnoticed, Scott had started to sneak back to his room. It didn't work. Gordon had spotted him.

"Hey, guys, look," he called out excitedly. "They're back."

Alan's head turned rapidly away from the TV. He leapt up and ran towards Scott and gave him a hug, squeezing him tightly around his middle.

"Alan, as glad as I am to see you, you need to let go of me. Now." Scott hissed.

"Why?" Alan was bewildered at Scott's request.

"You're pressing against my scar, and it's painful."

Alan stopped squeezing and released Scott like he was a hot iron poker.

"Sorry." Alan apologized meekly

Gordon bounded over to them.

"So, how are you today?"

"Technically, the day is nearly over, but, I'm fine, Gordon." Scott was getting tired of answering this question, day in, day out.

"That's good to know. Um, Scott, how many people know that you had cancer?"

"Just family and very old friends. Why?"

"No reason." Gordon turned and faced Alan. "Told you!"

Scott was utterly confused. He raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner at his father.

Jeff glanced up from his paper work. He smiled warmly at the trio and then held his hands up in mock surrender, indicating that he had no idea of what was going on with Alan and Gordon. He was relieved to have his family back at home. He took in Scott's appearance; it was happy, but tired relief that he was home.

"You should go to bed, son. You look dead on your feet."

Scott nodded. Finally, some-one understood what he had wanted to do.

"Oh, by the way, a letter came for you while you were away. I left it on your bed."

Scott headed out of the lounge and entered his room.

* * *

Just like Jeff had said, there was a white envelope with microscopic writing addressing the envelope. Scott smiled, he knew who had written the letter; the writing on the envelope had given it away. Eagerly, he ripped open the envelope, unfolded the piece of paper, and started to read.

_Hey Tracy, how are you? Heard about the news from Tash, that must really suck._

'You don't say, Tommy.' Scott thought to himself.

_Hope everything goes well with the operation and you get better soon._

_Things are very busy, places to go, people to meet. Business is booming, and I am working very hard to keep up with it._

'That's good to know.' Scott thought

_You may not have received the letter yet, but there is going to be a high school reunion in two months, was hoping to see you there, but I don't think you'll attend now._

'Is that a challenge, Tommy Riley? Because I have never backed down from a challenge. Yet.'

_Things are also looking up, I've kept out of trouble,_

'Sure you have, Tommy, sure you have.' Scott thought sarcastically.

_And I think I might be able to find a flat of my own, and move out from my shared accommodation. _

_Anyway, write back soon, and tell me about Paradise. Let me know about the operation._

_Peace out and good luck, man._

_Tommy :)_

Scott placed the letter down on his desk, and told himself to reply to that letter tomorrow, and closed his bedroom door. He turned off the lights and collapsed onto his bed, falling into a fitful sleep, after an extremely long day.

**AN: Sorry, chapter is so long. Anyway, please review.**


	27. Two Types of Treatment

Disclaimer: See chapter three

**Disclaimer: See chapter three.**

**AN: Just to make it clear, this chapter will start with Scott's reply to the letter, and then skip a month so that he can continue with his treatment. Once again, all the medical information came from the internet and the medical encyclopaedia that is sitting on my bookshelf, gathering dust.**

Chapter Twenty Seven- Two Types of Treatment 

The sun streamed through Scott Tracy's open window, and shined onto his face. Scott screwed up his face as the light hit his eyes, and then blinked. He looked outside his window, the sky was cloudless, the water was shimmering blue and a gentle breeze ruffled though the plants leaves. It promised to be a beautiful day.

Scott Tracy sat up and dragged himself out of bed. He brushed his teeth, showered and got himself ready for the day and headed out of his room.

* * *

He entered the kitchen, which was illuminated in the glow of the sun, and found it isolated. This suited him just fine; it meant that there was no attention on him. Scott reached for the fruit bowl, and grabbed an apple, a pear and a handful of purple grapes. Placing his food on a plate, Scott headed back to his room. There was something he needed to do.

Picking up a pen and a blank piece of paper, Scott wrote in reply to Tommy's letter.

* * *

_Hey Riley (OK, OK, I know you hate being addressed by your surname, but I couldn't resist temptation), how are things going?_

_WHAT has happened to your writing? I had to use a magnifying glass to read it. ;)_

_Operation went fine, thanks for asking and things are looking up hopefully._

_You said that you probably won't see me at the reunion? Is that a challenge? Because if it is, you will most definitely see me at the reunion, as I have never backed down from a challenge, yet. _

_Great to hear things are going good for you, but you staying out of trouble? That has gotta be a first._

_Also, Paradise is literally like its namesake- paradise. The sun is always shining, there is a constant refreshing sea breeze and there are no clouds in the sky._

_Anyway, I'll see you in two months- I think. _

_Scott :)_

* * *

A month later, Scott, John and Virgil found themselves back in Dr. Handley's grotty waiting room. The only difference was that Virgil wasn't anxious to disappear from the waiting room this time, compared to the first time they came here. The door opened and Dr. Handley called them into his consultant room.

Scott sat opposite Dr. Handley, Virgil sat on his right and John sat on his left.

Dr. Handley read through Scott's notes before addressing him.

"So, how have you been recovering? Is the scar hurting at all?"

"No, it doesn't hurt."

"Good. Now, you will want to know what kind of chemotherapy you will receive."

Scott nodded.

"After assessing the situation, I think it would be wise to use a combination of two chemotherapy drugs. They are called Capecitabine and Fluorouracil. They are both taken differently: Capecitabine is an orally administered treatment and Fluorouracil is a fluid that is inserted into an intravenous line, a PICC line, to be exact."

Scott was content with taking the oral pills, but he could see a problem with the fluid.

Dr. Handley could tell that Scott had foreseen a problem, and he knew how to solve it.

"With the intravenous line, you will have to go to the outpatient's ward, where they will insert it and tell you how to look after it. They will also teach you and a family member, if they are willing, how to inject the medication properly and maintain the intravenous line. It is very likely that you will be given a month's supply of Fluorouracil, so that you don't have to return to the hospital every week for treatment."

Scott was secretly relieved; he didn't wasn't to travel back and forth to receive treatment.

Dr. Handley continued on with his explanation. "You can start your treatment tomorrow. I can schedule you in tomorrow for an insertion of the PICC line, and we can then teach you and your brother's how to insert the injection, how to maintain the line and what you should do when you are not using the line." Dr. Handley paused, waiting for the brothers to process this information. "Have you got any questions?" he then asked.

Virgil and John shook their heads. Scott, however, did have one question.

"With the therapy, what side effects will occur?"

The doctor nodded, this was a common question from patients.

"Like any other medication," Dr. Handley started. "There are side effects. Because we are using a combination of drugs, there may be more side effects than normal. You may suffer from nausea or vomiting. However, we can prescribe medications to stop that side effect. You may also experience temporary hair loss, temporary memory loss, taste changes, blurred vision, bruising and you will be very vulnerable to infections, as your white blood cell count will be decreased. You will also feel tired and weak."

Scott nodded; that was a hell of a lot of side effects.

"Any other questions?"

No, there were no more questions for Dr. Handley to answer.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow."

And the Tracy brothers took that final statement as their cue to leave.

**AN: YES! Chapter 27 is finished. It has been the hardest chapter to write because there were so many conflicting medical facts. Anyway, please review.**


	28. It Begins

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: once again, all medical facts have come from the book that is gathering dust on my bookshelf and the internet. Also, there has been some confusion with the line. From what I understand, an intravenous line is a line that is inserted into a vein. A PICC line is a particular type of an intravenous line.**

Chapter Twenty Eight- It Begins

Scott and his brothers sat in the outpatients' waiting room for a relatively short amount of time before they were called into a smaller room. Scott and John stood up. Virgil stayed seated; he didn't like needles, and inevitably, needles would be used in this procedure.

* * *

In the smaller room, Scott and John met with the person who would insert the line. She indicated that they should sit down. She looked over at Scott.

"Did the doctor explain why we need to insert the line?" she asked.

Scott nodded.

"Did the doctor explain how I will insert the line?"

"No."

As she pulled on disposable, latex gloves, she explained the procedure. "First of all, I will apply an anaesthetic cream just above your left elbow. Then I will insert a needle that will feed the tube through a vein that leads into the heart. It will then be taped down with a transparent dressing. Afterwards, we need to do a chest x-ray to make sure the line has been fed to the right place. It is a painless, quick procedure. Once the anaesthetic wears off, you might feel a tingling sensation in your arm, but that will stop; it is just a reaction to the line. Shall we get started then?"

She squeezed a tube, and a considerable amount of cream fell onto the glove. She applied this cream around Scott's left elbow joint and then inserted the line and the needle.

Five minutes later, the deed was done, and an x-ray showed that the line was in the correct place.

She showed Scott and John how to care for the line and how to inject the medication.

"To inject the medication into the line," she said, "you need to insert the medication into a syringe. Then insert the syringe into the line opening that is not taped down by the dressing and squeeze the drug into the line. The drug will be carried through the bloodstream, and into the heart, where it will be pumped to other parts of the body. I'll show you how to do it now."

She placed the Fluorouracil into a syringe, and then inserted the syringe into the intravenous line. She dispersed the drug into the line and pulled out the empty syringe. She closed the line and secured the clamps tightly.

"Once you have injected the medication, you will need to close the opening of the line, by securing the clamps. This is vital, because air must not enter the line, as this can prevent the medication from going to the heart. Also, you will need to flush the line out once a week, to stop blockages, and you will also need to change the dressings to prevent infection. The line should not be cut or split in any way. However, if it does split, you will need to come back here so we can insert another line. Are there any questions you want to ask me?"

Scott shook his head; it seemed straightforward. Insert Fluorouracil into the line, don't split the line or allow air to get into it. Change the dressing once a week and flush the line out once a week to prevent blockages.

John didn't have any questions either.

"This is your supply of chemotherapy. It lasts for a month. After that, you will need to see your doctor for some more."

Scott accepted the box and was shown out of the room.

* * *

Virgil met up with the duo and they walked back to their rental car together and drove to the airport.

"So, how do you feel after getting the line?" Virgil asked.

John said nothing, he was concentrating on driving.

"For the last time, Virgil, I'm fine." Scott was exasperated that everyone kept asking him that question.

"Are you feeling any side effects yet?"

"Virgil, I've only had one shot of Fluorouracil. Give it time." Came the reply.

The rest of the journey happened in companionable silence, each brother reflecting on the past month.

* * *

At the airport, Virgil ran checks on the Swift and John and Scott made an important phone call. The person they were calling answered their phone promptly.

"Hello?"

"Dad, it's us."

"Scott, how did it go? Did they insert the line without any problems?"

"Listen Dad, everything went fine, I'll go into detail back home, but we are leaving now, and we will be back on the island by late afternoon."

"OK, son, I'll see you then." Saying that, the phone line was disconnected.

The Swift was cleared for take off and John and Virgil flew away, leaving Sydney behind them. Scott was stuck in a passenger seat. His hands itched to fly the plane, but he was suffering from the tingling sensation in his arm, and he knew that it wouldn't be safe for him to fly. So Scott had to be content with just sitting and being a passenger. The journey was smooth. There were perfect flying conditions; clear skies, no cloud cover, which meant that visibility was excellent and minimum wind speed. There were a few tail winds, but that was more of a help than a hindrance. The tail winds propelled them back to Tracy Island faster.

Soon the vague form of the volcano on the island came into view. They were minutes away from landing at their calm, tranquil villa in paradise. John turned on the intercom and a crackle of static indicated the intercom was working.

"Swift to Tracy Island, requesting landing permission please."

"Request denied. Sorry, John, but Alan and Gordon had a rescue to deal with and they are just about to land. As you know, Thunderbirds get full priority."

"Yeah, no problem. Just let us know when we can land."

Thunderbird One just streaked past the Swift, and Thunderbird Two followed Thunderbird One. John and Virgil let the Swift fly around the island once, allowing the Thunderbirds to land. The Swift was then given landing clearance.

* * *

By the time all the post flight checks were complete, and the brothers made their way back to the villa, Alan and Gordon were already waiting for them. Jeff was seated on the desk and Alan and Gordon were lounging around on the sofa.

"How did it go?" Jeff asked

"Everything went fine, Dad. John and I know how to insert the chemo, look after and maintain the line."

"What about Virgil?" Jeff questioned

"One word, Dad," John joined in the conversation. "Needles."

Jeff now understood why John had gone in with Scott and not Virgil. Alan and Gordon didn't.

"Needles?" Alan was incredulous.

Gordon was slightly more intelligent and he figured it out straight away. "Oh my God. You are afraid of needles, aren't you?"

Virgil silence confirmed Gordon's statement.

"You are!" Gordon was highly amused. "That's why you hated going for vaccinations when we were kids."

Virgil still said nothing, but it was obvious to Scott that he wasn't comfortable with the topic of discussion. Being the ever-protective older brother, Scott diffused the situation.

"Gordon, leave it." Scott murmured quietly

Gordon hadn't heard him. "But seriously, you, afraid of needles? No way!"

"Gordon, leave it." Scott's tone carried more emphasis and was louder.

Gordon finally understood the point Scott was trying to make, and he heeded his oldest brother. Turning to face him, Gordon started to fire questions at him.

"So, Scott, what does it feel like?"

"You really wanna know?"

Gordon nodded eargerly.

"Let's go for a walk, and I'll explain then."

Gordon bounded out the door, with Scott following behind. For the rest of the day, Scott spent some quality bonding time with his brother.

**AN: Chapter 29 will be up soon. Please review.**


	29. Head in the Toilet

**Disclaimer: see chapter three. I don't own 'Flying High! (also known as Airplane!)' either. sighs wistfully**

**AN: as always, the medical stuff in this chapter has come from the internet and books. This might be the last chapter for a few days, because I have lots of assessments and exams coming up.**

Chapter Twenty Nine- Head in the Toilet.

The first week of treatment went without a flaw. John helped Scott administer Fluorouracil, and Scott took Capecitabine after his main meals in the morning and evening.

It was very late in the night, or very early in the morning, depending on how you look at it, and John was feeling uneasy. He decided that he would just check on his brothers, and make sure they were fine.

John pulled himself out of bed and walked out of his door, and down the corridor.

He reached Alan's room first, and John peeked his head around the corner. Alan was fine; his bed covers were kicked off on the floor.

John then checked on Gordon. His covers surrounded him like a cocoon, and the only visible part of him was his shock of red hair.

John then went to Virgil's room. He was eagle spread across the bed, on top of the covers, and dead to the world, as usual.

This only left Scott. It was normal for Scott to go for a wander when everyone else was sleeping, so John wasn't surprised when he saw that Scott's room was empty.

John sighed. Where could Scott have gone? His question was answered as his eyes looked across the corridor. The bathroom door was closed.

* * *

John walked to the bathroom door.

"Scott, are you in there?"

His only response was the sound of retching.

"Scott, are you OK?" John was worried now; he knew the side effects would occur. He just didn't think it would happen so soon. He pushed the door open, and saw Scott leaning forward, with his head in the toilet.

John waited patiently as Scott threw up. When Scott had finished, John sat Scott down on the edge of the bathtub and got him a glass of water. Scott shook his head.

"Scott, you need to have a drink."

"I don't want it."

"You need to replace the fluids you have lost."

"I don't want it." Scott repeated.

"Why not?"

"Because," Scott explained. "I can't keep anything down in my stomach. I just took my head out of the toilet, and I have no intention of putting it back in there so soon."

John kept on persisting.

"If I take the glass of water, will you _please_ stop pestering me?"

John nodded. "Of course."

Scott downed the water, and waited a few minutes. It seemed like this was one thing Scott could keep down, until he jumped up and ran to the toilet bowl, and heaved violently.

"I told you." Scott said. "I can't even keep water down. Every time I think I can, my head always meets the toilet bowl."

John nodded understandingly.

"I hate this feeling." Scott continued. "I hate throwing up. It just makes me feel worse."

"Do you want to try taking the medicine that stops the throwing up?" John asked tentatively.

"No." Scott was adamant. "What's the point? They won't stop me from feeling like I'm going to throw up. I'd rather throw up, than constantly feel like throwing up."

Once again, John nodded understandingly. He waited as Scott rinsed his mouth out.

"Do you want to go back to bed?" John asked.

"No, don't think I'll get much sleep now."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"Relax, read, watch a movie, listen to music. Any of them will do."

* * *

John led Scott out into the lounge, and steered him to the sofa. Scott sank down wearily into the sofa while John went over to the movie collection and found a movie he thought Scott would like.

"What did you pick?" Scott called out to John.

John read the movie synopsis out loud. "An airplane crew is taken ill. Surely, the one person capable of landing the plane is an ex-pilot that is afraid to fly. But, don't call him Shirley. Ex- pilot Ted Striker has an aversion to flying. But what will happen when the crew become ill from a case of food poisoning, and he is the only one who can land the plane? Add an inflatable auto-pilot and three hundred and seventy five passengers into the mix, and what do you have? Chaos. Hold on for the ride of your life, and have hours of laughter with this movie."

"Flying High! Am I right?" Scott asked.

"Yes, you are." John replied. He placed the movie into the television and started to watch the movie together.

**AN: that's it for this chapter. Please review.**


	30. A Horror Film

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: OK, found some spare time, so I can write the next chapter. Does anyone know what colour Scott's hair is? I used brown, but in the 2004 movie, it looked slightly blonde to me, but that could just be my vision.**

Chapter Thirty- A Horror Film.

The weeks went on, and the side effects started to happen. Scott tried taking the medicines that would stop the vomiting, but it didn't make him feel any better, so he stopped.

He felt tired constantly, and it seemed that no matter how much sleep he got, it was never enough. Things weren't going so well. Scott was having trouble eating; he was managing to keep down clear soups. Scott was also having trouble seeing. He could see everything else fine, but when he looked out of the corners of his eyes, it was fuzzy and blurred.

* * *

A month later, Scott woke up from the sun streaming into his eyes, as usual. He kept his eyes shut, and ran a hand wearily through his hair. He removed his hand, but still felt hair in his fingers. He opened his eyes and saw locks of dark hair trapped between his fingers.

Just at that moment, Virgil decided to walk into the room. He stopped and stared. Scott's head looked like he had a very bad haircut. To Virgil, it looked like clumps of Scott's hair had been pulled out ruthlessly.

Scott saw Virgil staring, and unconsciously ran both his hands through his hair. A cascade of dark chocolate brown locks tumbled out of Scott's scalp.

"This is like being in a bloody horror film!" Scott whispered, horrified. His hands, once again ran through his hair. More hair worked its way loose and fell to the floor.

Virgil grabbed Scott's hands.

"Stop." He ordered. "It won't do you any good to keep running your hands through your hair. The easiest thing to do is cut it, and try and salvage the rest. But first, I need to get rid of all the stray locks."

Virgil left Scott's room to find a hairbrush. He returned three minutes later, after he borrowed a brush from Tin-Tin.

He sat down beside Scott and gently tugged the brush through his hair. Virgil looked at the brush and then at Scott's head.

"Does it hurt when I pull the brush through?" Virgil asked, wanting to know if he was hurting Scott.

"No."

Virgil resumed brushing the stray hair off Scott's head. By the time he had finished, there was no hair left on Scott's head.

"I'm sorry, Scott," Virgil started. "There is no hair left to salvage."

Scott swallowed. "You mean…"

Virgil nodded sombrely. He noticed that Scott was staring at the hair that had fallen to the ground. Virgil figured that it was making Scott uncomfortable, so he left the room and returned with a dustpan and brush.

On his knees, Virgil swept up the remains of Scott's hair and threw them in the bin. When Virgil looked back at Scott, he knew that something was wrong. He observed the expression on Scott's face. It was vacant and blank. Scott's expression didn't mask his thoughts; Virgil could read Scott's thoughts like an open picture book.

"Scott," Virgil placated. "It's not that bad."

"Yes. It. Is." The words dripped off Scott's tongue as though it was poison. "Alan will freak out if he sees this."

"What makes you say that?"

"Remember when Dad told you that IR would operate on minimum power?"

Virgil nodded; he could vaguely remember that day.

"And I finally saw Alan?"

Virgil kept quiet; he didn't remember this part.

"Do you know what he did? He ran up to me and squeezed the life out of me. When I told him it was hurting, he let go and tried to back off. How do you think he will react if he sees this?"

Virgil knew Scott was asking a rhetorical question, but he was determined to answer it.

"Alan would be shocked, but he would get over it, just like the rest of us. Scott, that incident happened over a month ago. He's had time to get used to the situation."

Scott was quiet; Virgil had brought up some valid points in his answer.

"Anyway, I'm surprised you still remember it." Virgil quipped.

"I'm surprised you've forgotten." Scott countered with an amused smile on his face.

Virgil stared at Scott. Scott stared at Virgil. One of their rare moments of connection. Scott broke the eye contact first.

"But seriously, what am I going to do? How do I stop Alan from freaking out?"

Virgil tilted his head to the side. "You could always try wearing a hat. That would stop Alan from reacting badly and protect your scalp from harmful UV rays from the sun."

"When did you become such a genius?" Scott joked.

"I've always been smart, just not as smart as you." Virgil replied. Saying that, he left the room and left Scott feeling much lighter hearted than he had done in a while.

**AN: Chapter Thirty now done. The incident mentioned came from chapter ten and the wearing a hat to stop UV rays from burning your scalp does work. Please review and let me know about Scott's hair colour. **


	31. High School Reunion

Disclaimer: Do I have to

**Disclaimer: Do I have to? Ok, OK, see chapter three.**

**AN: once again, this will be a time warp chapter, (Sorry, I just heard three consecutive ads for the Rocky Horror Show and the Time Warp song is stuck in my head.) Anyway, after the first scene, you need to fast forward about three weeks, OK? **

**Also, I visited the Kansas City website and got information from there, but if you feel that something is wrong, let me know in a review, and I will fix it up as soon as possible. Thanks.**

Chapter Thirty One- High School Reunion

Scott sat down on the beach with his laptop and was checking his e-mail. He had just escaped mayhem from the villa and was hoping to be left alone. Just as Tommy had said, there was an e-mail about the high school reunion. He clicked on it, and started to read.

_You have been invited to the Kansas High School Reunion for years 11 and 12.The reunion will be held Kansas City Grand Hall on 16__th__ April at 5.30pm-9.00pm. Meet up with friends and reminisce about good times! See you there!_

Scott smiled; yes, they would see him there. A shadow fell on the laptop screen. Scott looked up and saw someone standing over him.

"What're you reading?" he asked.

"There's a high school reunion. I'm planning on going, do you want to come?"

"I guess." He replied. "But are you sure you want to go?"

"Yes, I want to go. I just want to live normally, and it will give me the chance to catch up with friends."

"OK, we had better get Dad's blessing then."

* * *

Three weeks later, the two Tracy brothers found themselves standing in the foyer of the Kansas City Grand Hall, sifting through name labels, trying to find their own tag. Eventually one of the two brothers found their names.

"Found them!" he said.

"Whose? Your's or mine?" came the reply

"Both." Saying that, he attached the name tag to his t- shirt and entered the ballroom.

They were faced with a sea of unrecognizable faces. Scott looked around, amazed at how many people were here.

"Wow, I never knew high school reunions were this popular." Scott muttered to his companion.

His companion chuckled at Scott's comment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure with a mop of vibrant red hair approaching them.

"Hey, Scott. Some random approaching at three o'clock. "

Scott turned and found himself face to face with his best friend.

"Told you I'd come Tommy."

Tommy Riley grinned; he knew Scott would come, as Scott had never backed down from a challenge.

"Good to see you in high spirits, Scott." Tommy peered past Scott. "Virgil, is that you?"

Virgil appeared from behind Scott.

"It is you!" Tommy cried out. "There are so many people who want to see you again! Go! Mingle!"

"But, but…" Virgil stammered.

"Don't worry, Virgil, I'll look after Scott for you." Saying that, Tommy pushed Virgil, where he was promptly swallowed up by the crowd. He pulled Scott to the back of the hall, against Scott's protests, to a table that already had occupants. Scott recognised them as some of his high school friends, Jack and Nick.

"Hey, guys, look who I found skulking in a corner."

Jack and Nick looked up.

Jack spoke first. "Oh my God, it's Ace!"

Nick then responded. "Scott! It's been ages since I've seen you. How've you been?" Nick paused, as he thought about what Jack had said. "Wait a minute, why did Jack call you Ace?"

"Jack's always called me Ace." Scott replied.

"Scott's a pilot. All pilots are known as Ace." Jack elaborated.

"Hey! I was a pilot, and you never called me Ace!" Tommy was indignant. The three friends just laughed.

"So," Scott eventually asked. "Is anyone else coming, or is it just us?"

"One more person." Tommy answered. "She's here, but she's a bit preoccupied right now. She said she would stop by later."

"And 'she' is? Scott prompted.

"You'll see." Was the cryptic reply.

* * *

The four of them were reminiscing and laughing about the time their chemistry teacher set his own tie on fire, set of the smoke alarm and had the school evacuated as a safety precaution, Unnoticed the fifth mystery guest joined them. Tommy laughed so hard, his head was resting on the table, and he was finding it difficult to breathe.

"Tommy, I will never understand why you find that tale so amusing."

The three other boys looked up and stared at the fifth occupant. Tommy, however, was unfazed by her appearance.

Finally, Nick broke the silence.

"Scott, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That depends, what exactly are thinking of?"

"Is that…?"

"Yeah, unless the name tag's wrong."

The fifth person interrupted Nick and Scott's train of thoughts.

"Nick Leary and Jack Ekelles. You two haven't changed one bit since high school."

She turned her attention to Scott. She took in his appearance; he didn't look that great, but what could you expect from someone who was having chemotherapy?

"Hey, Scott, how've you been?"

Scott looked up at Tash Riley. "I'm OK, what about you?"

"I'm fine. But really Scott, how are you? I mean…"

Scott interrupted her. "Have you been talking to Virgil?"

Tash Riley looked sheepish.

"In all honesty," Scott continued and sighed. "There are good days and bad days. But that's to be expected."

The five of them continued to reminisce about their high school experiences, and they were all united in memories and laughter.

Five minutes later, or so it seemed, Virgil sought out Scott. It was really 8.45pm. Virgil tapped him on the shoulder.

"Scott, we really should be going now, so that we can land back home by late evening."

Scott stood up and said his goodbyes. When he had to say goodbye to Tash, she asked him for something. Scott obliged and quickly scribbled the information down on a scrap of paper and handed it to her.

* * *

When the two brothers were in the plane, Virgil asked the question that had been playing on his mind.

"What exactly did you give Tash?"

There was no reply. Virgil looked over at Scott; he was finding it difficult to stay awake, he was constantly blinking and rubbing his eyes.

"You know Scott, if you're tired, you could get some sleep." Virgil gently suggested.

"I'm not tired." Scott said, while rubbing his eyes.

"Get some sleep, Scott." Virgil not-so-gently ordered. "I'll wake you when we land at home."

By the time the plane had reached a safe cruising altitude, Scott had fallen into a deep slumber.

**AN: I know, this chapter may seem pointless, but it is vital for the next story- yes, there will be a sequel to this. As to when it will be posted, I'm not sure yet. Definitely after I finish this story though. Anyway, please review.**


	32. Don't Give Up

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: TBird True- in response to the loose threads point, Thread one will be answered in this story, thread two will be answered at the very end of this story or at the very beginning of the next story, and thread three will be in the sequel, but it was important to have the previous chapter.**

**Lissysue—is this fast enough? **

Chapter Thirty Two- Don't Give Up

It was early night when the two brothers returned home, and they were surprised to find only Jeff at home.

"Where are the others?" Virgil asked, as Scott crashed on the sofa.

"Rescue mission." Jeff replied. "A minor earthquake in Japan. They should be coming back any time soon." He paused, to gather his breath. "How was the reunion?"

"It was fine." Scott called out from the sofa.

"Yeah, Scott was much more animated there."

Jeff looked at Scott, and then shot a sceptical look at Virgil.

"He was!" Virgil insisted. "He did tire out towards the end, I guess." Virgil admitted.

Jeff looked at Scott again; his eyelids were flickering up and down, and he was having trouble staying awake.

"Scott, go to bed." Jeff instructed. "You're dog tired, and you'll only make your condition worse if you don't look after yourself."

Scott hauled himself off the sofa and headed to his room.

* * *

John, Gordon and Alan had returned from the rescue an hour ago. Gordon and Alan were extremely tired and worn out, so they went straight to bed. However, John was full of adrenalin and couldn't sleep at all. He decided to go for a night time wander. John knew that Alan and Gordon were asleep, so he didn't check on them. He went to the next room and could see Virgil's sleeping form from the silvery glow of the crescent moon.

Last, but not least, John went to check on Scott. Scott was asleep, but he was tossing and turning. His bed sheets were soggy, cold and clammy. A fine layer of perspiration covered Scott. Concerned, John rushed towards Scott and felt his forehead; he was burning up. John knew that it was vital to find out what was wrong with Scott. He sprinted out of Scott's room, and entered Jeff's room.

John urgently shook Jeff, as he attempted to wake his father.

"Dad, come on, wake up!" John's voice was uncharacteristically harsh.

Jeff just rolled over and carried on sleeping.

"Dad! Come on! Wake up! Now!"

Jeff groaned; someone had woken him from a peaceful slumber. "What is it?"

"It's Scott. Something's wrong."

Those four words instantly grabbed Jeff's attention and he roused himself from his drowsy state. "What's wrong? What's wrong with Scott?"

"I don't know." John replied, worried but relieved that his dad was there to help. "He's burning up and running a temperature. "

Jeff instantly took charge of the situation. "OK, son, you go down to sickbay and prepare a bed. I will wake Virgil and get him to help bring Scott there."

John ran off to do his father's bidding. Jeff ran to Virgil's room and shook him awake.

"Virgil." Jeff said. "Virgil, you need to wake up. I need your help."

"Which pod do I use?" Virgil was still in a state of semi sleep and he thought he would be going on a rescue.

"No, Virgil, it's not a rescue. It's Scott."

Virgil sat upright and Jeff continued.

"There's something wrong. I need you to carry him to sick bay. John's already down there, getting the room ready. While you're doing that, I will get Brains, from his lab, so that he can run some tests and find out what is wrong."

Virgil was already halfway to Scott's room by the time Jeff had finished. By the time Jeff had caught up with Virgil, Virgil was carrying Scott down to sickbay.

"I messaged Brains. He said he would be there in an instant."

Together, they managed to carry Scott to sickbay, and with John's help hook him up to vital machines.

Jeff turned to Brains and asked him what kind of tests he would run.

"J-Just the s-s-standard procedure o-o-ones, I t-t-t-think. If t-t-they are in-inconclusive, I will run more c-c-complicated t-t-tests."

* * *

The sun was rising over Tracy Island, the sky was illuminated in pinks, oranges, reds and fading blues. Jeff Tracy sat by his eldest son's bed, waiting anxiously to hear the test results. He had sent John and Virgil back to bed, as they might have been needed on a rescue. He lay a hand on Scott's head and stroked it affectionately. Brains came back from the lab, after analysing the results. He knocked on the door, and motioned for Jeff to come outside the room.

"I'm sorry, M-m-r. T-T-Tracy, but I c-c-can't let you s-s-see S-S-Scott right now."

"Why not?"

"S-S-Scott has a viral infection. I-I-I can't give him a-a-any antibiotics, as t-t-they don't k-k-k-ill viruses. S-S-Scott's immune s-s-s-system will h-have to fight this by himself." Brains closed the door to sickbay and he opened the window, which would allow Jeff to see Scott. Brains then walked away, he felt that he should let Jeff have some space.

Jeff stared through the clear window.

'Scott,' he thought. 'Don't give up now, not after surviving so much. Don't give up now. Please. Don't give up.'

**AN: so, another cliffie Evil Laughter. just a quick (and probably stupid) question- how do you post replies on existing forums? If you know the answer, please let me know in a review.**


	33. Bright Ideas

**Disclaimer: see chapter three.**

**AN: yes, Lissysue and human, I was mean to end the chapter there, but here is the next chapter to (hopefully) make everything right again. **

**Annon- it was meant to read "head", but didn't. I have corrected that, and hopefully it appears now- thanks for pointing that out.**

**Also, did I get Brains' stutter right in the last chapter? I wasn't sure of whether he stutters on every word or just a few. Anyway, on with the story.**

Chapter Thirty Three- Bright Ideas

Two days went by, and Scott hadn't shown any signs of improving. He was still running a temperature, and still sweating profusely. Brains was becoming concerned, the longer Scott's conditioned deteriorated, the harder the recovery would be.

Down in his lab, Brains was analysing Scott's latest blood test. The results were not good news. Scott's white blood cell count was very low, even for someone who was taking chemotherapy. If this went on, there would be little hope for Scott. A sudden idea struck him. He dismissed it almost immediately. It was far fetched, radical and almost unheard of. No, it couldn't possibly work. Could it? There was only one way to find out.

* * *

"-s-s-so in conclusion, M-M-Mr. Tracy, I-I t-t-think it m-might just work. I-I-It is S-S-Scott's only h-hope of s-s-survival."

Jeff looked at Brains. "You think it will work?"

"P-P-Possibly. I-It has never b-b-been tested b-b-before."

"It's worth a try. Count me in." Jeff pushed a button on his desk and called all four sons to the lounge.

Virgil ambled in; paintbrushes were tucked into his pocket and a smell of wet paint trailed behind him. Gordon came into the room, untangling himself from his surfboard, dripping water all over the floor. John was doing maintenance checks on Thunderbird Three. Alan and Tin-Tin were the last to enter; they had just come back from a walk around the island.

"What is it, Dad?" John broke the silence

"Scott hasn't been getting better." There was a collective gasp around the room. That couldn't be right, Scott was a fighter, and he would always bounce back from injuries and infections.

"However," Jeff continued. "Brains has come up with an idea that might work."

"And?" Alan prompted

"S-S-Scott's white blood c-c-cell count i-is d-d-dangerously low. I-I-I think that i-if w-w-we can b-boost the white blood c-c-cell count up, S-S-Scott might get better faster."

There was a stunned silence. Finally Gordon broke the silence.

"What do we have to do?"

"I-I need s-s-some b-b-blood samples f-f-from all of you. T-Then I w-w-will analyse t-t-the results and find an ap-appropriate donor. The d-d-donor will give s-s-some w-white blood c-c-cells to S-S-Scott."

"Well, I'm in." Gordon consented to having a blood test.

"So am I." Alan chimed in

"Me too." John agreed.

Virgil nodded; he also wanted to be tested.

* * *

Brains was analysing the blood samples he took from the Tracy brothers.

'One of them has to be a match for Scott. There just has to be a match.' He reasoned.

Brains took Virgil's blood sample first. He had no luck, they were not a match.

Jeff's blood sample clearly didn't match Scott's. his blood would be useless to Scott.

John's blood sample came next. He was almost a match, but it would be risky to use John.

Alan's was next. Like Virgil's sample, they were not a match.

'Gordon, he has to be a match for Scott. Please, he has to be a match for Scott.' He prayed.

His prayers were answered; Gordon was the closest possible match. Gordon would be the donor for Scott.

* * *

Gordon felt relieved as he sat on his chair, as Brains took his blood. He was actually doing something to help Scott. So far, John and Virgil had been Scott's supports, and he really wanted to help.

Gordon reflected back on his hydrofoil crash. Scott had been there to support him, every step of the way. Now, it was his turn to support Scott on his fight for survival.

'Please God,' he inwardly prayed. 'Please, Scott's my oldest brother. I don't know what I'd do without him. Please, let this work.'

* * *

A day after Gordon's blood had been given to Scott, he had shown tremendous improvement. He still had a temperature, but it was returning back to normal. He was showing signs of getting better. Brains' idea had worked.

Just after lunch, Jeff was watching Scott from the Perspex window. He thought saw Scott move. He had to go in there, and make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

After donning the scrubs, gloves, mask and overalls, Jeff ran to Scott's bedside. Scott's eyes were still closed, but his eyelids were flickering, and he was becoming restless. This was a sure sign that he was waking up.

"Hey, Scott, you're trying to wake up, aren't you?" Jeff said, staring intently into Scott's face.

Bleary crystal blue eyes focused in on a tired, worn out face.

"Brains, you need to come down to sickbay immediately." Jeff spoke into his watch, which served as a communicator. "Scott's awake."

**AN: so, Scott's awake. This can only be a good thing, right? You'll have to wait for the next chapters to find out. Please review. **


	34. Repaying Favours, Reliving Nightmares

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: I think the story is winding down now, I'm hoping to finish the story in fifty or less chapter. I think it's doable, but if it isn't I will just have to add more chapter to the story.**

Chapter Thirty Four- Repaying Favours, Reliving Nightmares

Scott was out of sickbay within two weeks. After he had woken, Brains gave him another white blood cell booster injection, and that had worked. Scott was completely viral-infection free. He didn't have to be confined to his bed, or inside the villa, so he was up and about. He loved walking barefooted on the beach, being able to feel the grainy sand between his toes and hear the waves roaring in his ears. It was especially magical at dawn or dusk.

* * *

It was lunchtime on Tracy Island, and every one was there, minus Scott. They waited and they waited. Scott didn't turn up. Jeff indicated that they should eat, and that he would save some for Scott.

Two hours went by, and Scott still didn't turn up to the villa. Jeff was getting anxious and he sent the boys out to look for him. They decided to search in pairs. Virgil and Alan would work as one search unit, and John and Gordon would work as the other search unit. John and Gordon would search through the forests and volcanic track. Virgil and Alan would search all of the beaches.

* * *

The four of them set off, in search for Scott. They hadn't found him yet, but they weren't giving up.

"I hope we don't get a rescue call now." John said to Gordon. Right after he said that, the emergency klaxon went off.

"Way to jinx it, Johnny." Gordon grumbled. This meant that two of them would leave for the rescue, and only two would be left to search for Scott.

"I'd better go up to the villa, and get the rescue details." John said, and sprinted back down the track.

* * *

Alan and Virgil also heard the klaxon. Alan turned and faced Virgil.

"You'd better go. You're needed."

"But what about Scott?" Virgil tried to argue.

"Virgil! I know you're just as worried as I am, but you are needed somewhere else. You need to go!"

Virgil stayed put.

"I will find Scott, Virgil. I promise, I will find him."

Alan turned back, and resumed searching the beaches.

* * *

The sun was setting, bathing the sky in a fiery- orange glow. Gordon was in the heart of the forest, and Alan had searched over half the beaches. Alan raised his wrist, and talked into his watch.

"Gordon, have you found him yet?"

"Not yet." Came the reply. "I right in the heart of the forest. He's not here. I'm going back to the villa, he might be back there."

Alan was the only brother who was still searching for Scott.

* * *

His perseverance paid off, and Alan found Scott, sitting in the waves, right at the end of the last beach he searched. Alan sprinted towards him, but slowed down as he approached him.

Alan didn't know whether Scott noticed the shadow standing above him, but if he didn't, he was doing a brilliant job of ignoring it.

"How long have you been here, Scott?" Alan asked quietly.

Scott jumped; he didn't know he had company.

"Alan, what are you doing here?"

Alan just smiled, as he sat down on the saturated sand beside Scott.

"I could ask the same thing."

Scott hesitated. "I just needed some time to clear my head."

"I'll say." Alan countered. "You know how long you've been here?"

Scott shook his head.

"Four hours. Do you know how worried Dad was?"

Again, Scott shook his head.

"We'd better get back to the villa, and let Dad know that you are OK."

"No." Scott stated. "I would like to talk to Gordon."

"Gordon's back at the villa. You can talk to him there." Alan tried to persuade Scott, but Scott's resolve remained firm.

"I'd like to talk to him out here."

Alan sighed; he knew he had just lost the verbal battle.

"OK, I'll go back to the villa, and send him down here." Alan got up and walked away, leaving Scott alone.

* * *

In no time at all, Gordon was down on the beach. He sat down beside Scott, in exactly the same spot Alan was in.

"What did you want to talk about?" Gordon asked.

"I wanted to thank you." Scott said, without looking away from the ocean.

"What for?" Gordon was puzzled.

"For giving me your blood." Scott turned his head and looked at Gordon.

"Forget it. You would have done the same for me. You did do the same for me. I'm just repaying the favour." Gordon was referring to his hydrofoil accident.

When Gordon was brought into the hospital, he had lost a lot of blood, and the doctors were finding it difficult to find a match. Scott had no hesitations in donating his blood when he found out he was the same blood type as Gordon. It was a secret shared between the two brothers; no one else knew what Scott did for Gordon.

Scott paused; there was so much he wanted to ask Gordon.

"How did you do it? How did you walk out of the hospital, even though the doctors told you that you would spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair?"

Gordon paused, as he thought out his response to Scott's deep, insightful question.

"Well, I knew that no matter what happened, I would have the love and support of my family. That made it easier to deal with the 'not being able to walk' fact, but I wanted to prove the doctors wrong. I wanted to prove that I could walk again. I wanted to show the world that I was a fighter and a survivor. But mostly, I just wanted to prove to myself that I was a strong person. It wasn't easy." Gordon was trapped in memories of a dark time, and he couldn't stop talking, until he had retold his tale.

"God knows it wasn't easy. There were so many times when I felt like… just giving up. Just accept the fact that I couldn't walk again. I just wanted it to be over. But I couldn't do that. I had to show myself that I could, and would, at least try to walk. And I persevered, and persevered, and tried and tried, and eventually, I did it. I could stand strong on my own two feet. I could walk, I was mobile, and that was good enough for me."

Gordon paused; Scott was looking at the ocean again. Gordon sensed that Scott had more to say, so he patiently waited until Scott felt like talking.

"I can't do this anymore." Scott finally muttered dejectedly. "I'm just so tired. I'm tired of feeling sick all the time. I'm tired of the aches and pains. I'm tired of fighting. I want this to be over. I just want it to end."

Gordon placed his arms around Scott, and gave him a comforting brotherly hug.

"It will be over. You will fight the cancer, and you will survive, because you are a strong person and you are a survivor. I know you can do this, so you better believe it too." Gordon's voice was full of determination.

The sun had just disappeared beneath the horizon. Gordon stood up and hauled Scott to his feet.

"It's getting late. We should head back now." Gordon said, and Scott agreed.

The two brothers turned and walked home in comfortable silence.

**AN: this chapter was another difficult one to write. I hope you like it. Please review. **


	35. Nervousness is not good for the Mind

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: yeah, I reckon this story is coming to an end, elongating it would just ruin it. Next story will be up as soon as this one is finished. **

**Also, this chapter has a big time jump- after the first bit, you need to jump ahead by four months, and then after the second bit, you need to fast forward by a week. Just to make it clear. :)**

**Oh, by the way, in response to TB True's review of Chapter 31, loose threads two and three will be answered in the next story I write. 'Kay?**

Chapter Thirty five- Nervousness is not good for the Mind.

After Gordon and Scott's little talk, Scott felt more optimistic. He knew that if Gordon could fight his way back to 100 percent, then so could he. His old energy seemed to return, and he was laughing and living life to the max.

* * *

Four months went by, and Scott's chemotherapy came to an end. Everyone was relieved, but apprehensive.

Scott had made an appointment with Dr. Handley, as the doctor had wanted to see him. Scott, Virgil and John would all go back to Manly in a week.

The trio sat in row in Dr. Handley's drab waiting room. They were apprehensive and nervous. Virgil and John were anxious. It felt like there was a horde of angry rhinos stampeding through their stomach, and their intestines were tied in sailors' knots.

Scott was fidgety, and try as he might, he couldn't keep still. He was constantly standing up and walking around the insanely small waiting room.

"It's really making you nervous, isn't it, Scott?" Virgil asked. He was highly amused at Scott's antics.

Scott and John shot a look at Virgil.

"No, Virgil, I'm as cool as an iceberg, that's why I can't sit still for five minutes." Scott replied sarcastically.

"No need to be sarky. All I did was ask one question." Virgil grumbled.

John sided with Scott. "Virg, you have to admit, it was a stupid question." He then turned and faced Scott. "You need to relax. Everything will be fine. Nervousness is not good for the mind."

Virgil was about to retort to John's comment, but he caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye.

Almost as though it was timed to diffuse the situation, Dr. Handley's office door opened slightly, and a hand beckoned them in.

* * *

Once the three brothers were seated, Dr. Handley addressed Scott.

"So, how are you feeling now, Scott?"

"Nervous, anxious, apprehensive. Otherwise, I'm fine."

"How did you respond to the chemotherapy?" Dr. Handley asked.

Scott frowned; what was the doctor trying to ask?

"Let me rephrase." Dr. Handley said. "What type of side effects did you have? I mean, apart from the hair loss." Dr. Handley looked at Scott's hat as he said that.

"There were quite a lot." Scott started to list his side effects. "Nausea, vomiting, vision distortion, tiredness, memory loss, and everything I ate tasted of rusty nails. And, of course, the hair loss."

The doctor nodded as he made notes. These were common side effects; majority of chemotherapy patients had these effects.

"Anything else?"

Scott looked at Virgil and John uncomfortably. "There were times when I felt really down."

John and Virgil looked at Scott in shock; they wondered how they could have overlooked at Scott's emotional state.

Scott looked around at Virgil and John. "It wasn't your fault." He reassured them. "You weren't to know. Only Gordon knew how I felt, and it took a while for me to tell him."

"Depression is quite common in chemotherapy patients. It can be treated by support and care from family. In this case, it was." The doctor paused, and then he spoke again.

"Now, you will want to know whether you need another course of chemotherapy. To establish this, we need to run blood testa. I can take the blood from you right now, and process and I can have the results in about two to three hours or so. Otherwise, you could have the blood taken at a later date, if you can't wait around today."

Scott looked at Jon and Virgil. They both nodded their heads in mutual agreement. Scott nodded his head.

"I would like to have the tests done today, if that's possible. Get it over and done with, and it puts me out of out of my misery."

"That is very possible, Scott." Dr. Handley said. He indicated that Scott should roll up his jumper sleeve, so that he could access the intravenous line, to draw some blood from Scott's vein. He took the sample and sealed it. He showed them out of his office and told Scott that he would see him again in two to three hours.

* * *

To Scott, it felt like the hours crawled by, at a snails' pace. Even sitting on the beach with his brothers didn't calm his nerves. He still felt jumpy and apprehensive.

'Just relax, Scott, you'll find out that everything is OK, and then your mind will be put at ease.' Scott thought positively.

John stood up suddenly, and hauled Virgil to his feet. Scott looked questioningly up at John.

"We need to head back now. Dr. Handley should have your results."

Scott rose to his feet, and the three of them headed back.

* * *

Once again, the trio sat in Dr. Handley's office. Dr. Handley held a white sealed envelope. He opened the seal carefully, and took out one single sheet of paper. He kept a poker-face as his eyes scanned the paper. He looked up and started to speak.

"I have the results."

**AN: Yes, another cliffie. Probably two or three more chapters left in this story now, so it will be complete soon. Please review.**


	36. It Could Have Been Worse

**Disclaimer: See chapter three**

**AN: I think this will be the second last chapter because I really want to wrap this story up, and start writing the sequel, because a lot of unanswered questions from this story will be answered in the sequel.**

**Once again, all medical information used in this chapter has been found from the internet.**

Chapter Thirty Six- It Could have been Worse

Dr. Handley allowed himself a small smile. "The treatment worked. All the cancerous cells have been killed or removed. You won't need any more treatment."

Virgil and John let out huge sighs of relief and grins were etched onto their faces.

"That's great news, Scott." Virgil exclaimed, as John patted him on the back.

Scott, however, remained still, and showed no outward signs of emotion.

"Is everything OK, Scott?" Dr. Handley was puzzled by Scott's reaction, or rather, lack of reaction.

"Yeah," Scott paused. "It's just; I'm waiting for the 'but'."

The doctor knew this was coming. Most of his patients expected some bad news with the good news.

"You were right to wait."

At that statement, the grins on Virgil's and John's face fell slightly.

"In your blood test," the doctor explained. "We found a high level of glucose. This means that your pancreas is not producing enough insulin. Basically Scott, you have diabetes." Dr. Handley stared at his patient, waiting to see how Scott reacted.

Scott blinked. It wasn't that bad, it was still good news.

"Which type?" Scott asked.

"Type one." Dr. Handley replied gravely. Out of the two types diabetes, this was the rarer and more dangerous one.

John and Virgil shot wary glances at each other; this didn't sound that good.

"The insulin I gave you during the chemotherapy wasn't effective, and the pancreas didn't respond to making insulin. Now that you have stopped taking the chemo, the insulin shots will be more effective. In addition to insulin shots, you also need to monitor and control your sugar intake. The easiest way to do this is by using a self testing kit. You will also need to keep active as this can help control diabetes, but don't overdo it. If you feel tired, you need to stop. Otherwise, you can live a normal life." Once again, Dr. Handley paused, and then started to talk again. "I won't remove the intravenous line, because you can use it to insert the injection shots."

On that note, the Tracy brothers took it as their cue to leave.

* * *

They arrived at the airport and John and Virgil prepped the plane for take off. Scott called the Island, to let them know that they were leaving Manly and coming home.

The flight was smooth, and tailwinds helped propel the plane, so they arrived at Tracy Island earlier than expected.

* * *

Once the trio had settled into the lounge, Scott found himself under a barrage of questions. Alan and Gordon were asking questions at the same time, so it was hard to hear the questions. Jeff silenced the overlapping questions with some of his own.

"What did the doctor say? Did the chemotherapy work? What about those insulin shots he gave you, did they work?"

"Dad, the chemotherapy worked. No more cancer."

A huge cheer rang though the villa.

"However," Scott continued. "The insulin shots didn't."

"What does that mean?" Alan asked warily.

"It means…" Scott took a deep breath. "It means I'm a type one diabetic."

A stunned silence lingered in the air like a shadow.

"Well, that's not too bad." Gordon considered. "I mean, it could have been worse."

Scott nodded, Gordon was right, it could have been worse. Alan was still puzzled.

"Hey, Scott," he asked. "What do you have to do to control the diabetes?"

"Basically control my sugar intake, take blood glucose tests daily and have insulin shots."

Alan nodded; he agreed with Gordon's opinion, it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

Scott looked over at his Dad. "Are you OK, Dad?" he asked.

Jeff hadn't said a word since Scott's revelation. He nodded his head slowly.

"Yes. It will take some getting used to, but I am very glad and relieved that the cancer is not back."

He gave Scott a fatherly hug, and invited the rest of the family to join them. Everything would be fine now.

**AN: Sorted it out! There is a definite ending point for this story. The next chapter will be the last one for this story, and then I can start on the sequel to this story. Please review.**


	37. Tying Up Loose Ends

**Disclaimer: see chapter three**

**AN: This is the final part to Scott's Secret (feels some sort of emotion she can't explain). The point of this is to tie up most, but not all of the loose ends (otherwise it would stuff up the plan for the sequel.) Some of the events in this chapter are related to chapter 16. Because this is an epilogue, this will be a short chapter.**

Chapter Thirty Seven- Tying up Loose Ends.

A month went by, and everyone had gone back to normal. Scott's hair grew back in the same colour, and he was going out on rescues.

Gordon was eager to try Scott's idea, so Scott and Gordon pulled off some spectacular practical jokes on unsuspecting members off the family. They almost got away with it, but Gordon gave them away.

Alan spent more time with Scott, and Scott told Alan more about their mother. At the same time, Scott showed Alan all the photos hidden under his shirts. Although neither brother would admit it, they both enjoyed each other's company, and got a real understanding of the other one.

John and Scott spent some weekends on the mainland. They did an array of activities that strengthened their brotherly bond. Scott stayed up with John on those weekends to do some stargazing with him.

Virgil and Scott enjoyed doing beach activities together, like surfing or sky diving. Scott would also spend hours in the lounge, just listening to Virgil play and compose new pieces of music.

A change could be seen in Jeff. Sure, he was still the same workaholic he always was, but after Scott's battle with cancer, he remembered that he needed some down time to spend with his family.

For Scott, he had never enjoyed life so much. He figured having a potentially fatal disease, and beating the odds would do that to someone.

However, there was one niggling thought at the back of his mind. Just who would take his place instead? He just didn't know.

There was one thing Scott was almost sure of- it wouldn't be a member of his family. And how did he know? Well, there were so many times when any Tracy could have replaced him, but none of them did.

So overall, everything was great for the Tracy family. They were closer and stronger than ever before. IR was back to maximum team members, and they were a force to be reckoned with.

But that shadow still hung over Scott Tracy's head- who would take his place, and when? That remained to be seen.

**AN: So, first ever fan fiction completed. On reflection, I think this is more movie-verse with some TV elements thrown in, just to confuse you.**

**I have mixed emotions as I click the 'submit' button, but it is mainly relief and happiness. I survived my first fan fiction (with most of my sanity!) YAY!! Anyway, the sequel for this story will be up soon, and all unanswered questions will be answered there. Please review. **


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